Xenotale
by Feenie13
Summary: The underground is used to seeing children fall through Mt. Ebott, not adult humans. Or Homs, for that matter. Will cover pacifist route of Undertale, including the neutral route boss and ending, spoilers for Xenogears, Xenosaga, and Xenoblade!
1. Ruins: Fei part 1

_Once upon a time, two races ruled over Earth: humans and monsters. One day, war broke out between the two races, and the humans won. They sealed the monsters underground with a powerful magic spell..._

 _Many years later, at Mt. Ebott..._

 **Would you like to load the following file?**

 **XENO - LV ?**

 **The Beginning - 999:99**

 **Yes**

 **No**

* * *

The first thing Fei was aware of when he regained consciousness was a sweet smell all around him, and that he could tell he was lying down in something. He slowly opened his eyes to see golden flowers right in front of his face, and he raised his head away from them, blinking in confusion. He almost recoiled in shock when he saw there were several other people lying in what he now could tell was a field of golden flowers, some face-down in the flowers. His friends were lying nearby, just waking up themselves.

"Ow, my head...Fei? Where are we...?" Bart asked, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"I have no clue. Are...Are we all okay?" Fei answered, looking around.

"I would hope so," Citan said, standing up. "I don't think we fell, I'm not experiencing any aches or pains..."

He looked up, squinting. "...we would have fallen from high up if we did. I can hardly see a place where we would have fallen from here."

"Are chu sure?" Chu-Chu whined. "I don't feel chu good..."

"I'm positive. Though, I wonder who those other people are..." Citan confirmed, turning his gaze towards the other people waking up.

"Why are there so many flowers here?" a woman with brown hair and some sort of uniform wondered, pushing herself up from where she was lying face-down.

"Gaignun! Gaignun, are you okay?!" a boy with the reddest hair Fei had ever seen called, dashing over to a man with black hair also lying face-down in the flowers.

"Is this some secret area?" a girl with long blonde hair wondered, unsteadily standing up. "Weren't we just outside of Alcamoth...?"

"Hey, uh...are you guys okay?" Fei asked, hesitantly. "By the looks of it, I don't think any of us are familiar with this place."

"I would hope so," a boy with silver hair who looked about Fei's age answered. "Are you and your friends okay?"

"I...I think so, yes. I'm Fei Fong Wong, by the way," Fei said, nodding.

"My name is chaos. It's a pleasure to meet you, Fei," chaos greeted.

"Same to you, chaos," Fei replied before looking around. For some reason, he felt strangely at peace for once since before Lahan's destruction. He didn't understand, he didn't remember a field of golden flowers in some cave...

"Should we all introduce ourselves?" the woman with brown hair asked after a few moments. "It looks like we might be stuck together for a while..."

"A-Ah, we should...my name is Fei, and these are my friends Elly, Citan, Bart, Billy, Maria, Chu-Chu, Rico, and Emeralda," Fei agreed, gesturing to his friends in turn.

"My name is Shion Uzuki, and-"

Fei couldn't help but stare at Shion in surprise. "Uzuki?"

"Yes...? Is there a problem with my name?" Shion asked.

"Well...Citan's last name is also Uzuki..." Bart pointed out, looking over at Citan. Citan looked more amused than surprised, oddly enough.

"W-What? How? If you'll forgive me, I've never met you before, Citan..." Shion admitted.

"It's all right. I think it's simply a coincidence we share last names, that's all," Citan replied.

"A coincidence...I'll take your word for it. These are my allies KOS-MOS, MOMO, chaos, Ziggy, Gaignun Kukai and his son Jr, and..."

Shion sighed. "My older brother Jin."

A boy with blonde hair and something that Fei could only describe as an odd red sword on the boy's back took a shaky step forward toward the others. "My name is Shulk, and these are my friends Fiora, Reyn, Dunban, Sharla, Riki, and Melia."

"It's nice to meet you all," Billy greeted. "Would anyone have an idea as to how any of us got here?"

"Maybe teleportation? From what I can see, there's a hole high up in the cave's ceiling...I don't think we'd be walking around alright if we fell from that high up," MOMO spoke up.

"Sounds more likely than anything else. I just remember leaving Alcamoth, and then...waking up in these flowers," Dunban agreed.

"Alcamoth? Never heard of it, it sounds like it's from some fairy tale," Bart remarked.

"I just remember performing a check-up on KOS-MOS before waking up here. Why would anyone want us here?" Shion pondered.

"Do we all have our weapons with us? We might have to fight down here..." Rico asked. A brief moment of silence followed as everyone checked over themselves.

"Seems like we have our weapons. Though, uh...Gaignun doesn't fight," Jr spoke up.

"I have a spare gun if he needs it," Billy said, reaching into his coat and pulling out another gun.

"Ah, it's alright, I prefer not to fight anyways," Gaignun admitted. Billy nodded and placed the gun back inside his coat.

"There's an exit over there," Ziggy noticed, glancing at an entryway nearby. "Perhaps we should travel together for the time being."

Everyone seemed in agreement as they started walking through the entryway, only to be stopped by a flower suddenly popping out of the ground. Fei couldn't help but stare at it: it greatly resembled the flowers they woke up in, but this one had a face.

"Howdy!" the flower greeted in a high-pitched voice. "I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!"

"...I didn't expect to see a talking flower here," Rico commented.

"Golly! You all must be new to the underground, right? Someone has to teach you guys how things work down here! Don't worry, little old me will be happy to help!" Flowey declared.

Shulk's eyes started glowing blue, and his friends looked at him anxiously. "Shulk?" Fiora asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Ready? Here we go!" A small cloud of white pellets appeared around Flowey. "Down here, we share LV through little white...friendliness pellets!"

"What does LV stand for?" Jin asked, cautiously.

"LOVE, of course! You'll need LOVE if you want to survive down here!" Flowey answered with a wink.

"Don't touch those!" Shulk gasped, his eyes no longer glowing blue. "Those things will hurt you!"

"What? C'mon, I'm just trying to help you!" Flowey protested, pouting.

"I doubt you are...what are those things, then?" Dunban asked, pointing at the 'friendliness pellets'.

"I told you, they're friendliness pellets! Now, just hold still and let me-"

The pellets were knocked away with a fireball from Melia. She gripped a staff tightly in her hands, wings on her head flaring out-

Wings? She had wings on her head?

"Begone! If you want to hurt us, you won't get the chance to!" Melia snapped.

"C-Calm down, why are you acting like he's our enemy?" Jr asked, looking shocked.

Flowey scowled. "Is this a joke? Just run into the bu-friendliness pellets!" he complained, another cloud of pellets forming above his head. Melia tossed another fireball at the pellets, just barely missing Flowey. Flowey's face suddenly contorted into an awful sneer.

"You know what's going on here, don't you? You just wanted to see me suffer!" he snarled. A ring of pellets surrounded the group.

" **DIE**!"

Just before the pellets could harm them, they suddenly vanished, and a fireball knocked Flowey away. This time, it wasn't Melia who used a fire spell. A tall, goat-like being in a purple robe slowly approached them, wary.

"...what a terrible creature, attempting to harm such poor, innocent youths," the new person said, looking down at the younger members of the group.

"Thank you for saving us!" Fiora thanked. "We weren't sure what would have happened if you didn't stop that flower!"

"Indeed. My name is Toriel, and I am the caretaker of the ruins. Please, follow me," she ordered. Toriel turned around and started heading toward the other exit in the room. The group shuffled after her, looking around as they did.

The ruins seemed composed of mostly purple stone, ivy curling around walls and old pillars. The air smelled old and musty to Fei...a small, glowing point of light rested in front of a staircase leading deeper into the ruins, and Fei couldn't help but touch it.

 _Your journey here is just beginning. Get a move on, will you?_

Fei looked around, confused. What was that voice that spoke in his head just now?

"Fei? You alright?" Bart asked, pausing in his tracks. Fei just nodded and hurried to catch up with the group.

"This will be your new home, young ones," Toriel spoke aloud as they entered a room with six buttons on the right side of the room, a lever on the wall.

"I'm sorry, what? New home? We already have a home!" Jr protested.

"Even so...in the ruins, you will encounter puzzles, which are ancient fusions of door keys and diversions. You will need to solve them, so please adjust yourself to the sight of them," Toriel explained. She walked over four of the buttons and pulled down the lever, opening the door before beckoning the humans onward into a room with several bridges over some water, with a set of levers on a wall and spikes blocking the farthest bridge.

"Ms. Toriel, we apologize, but we'd just like to go home as soon as possible," Melia explained. "We have people waiting for us..."

Toriel seemed to disregard Melia's comment, and looked down at Maria, Billy, Emeralda, MOMO, and Jr. "Now, young ones, I have labeled a set of switches up ahead for you to press to solve this puzzle."

Jr seemed visibly annoyed at being treated as one of the younger kids of the group. Fei was slightly amused, he could hardly be much older than Maria...nonetheless, he walked over to the switches with the other young members of the group and activated them. The spikes retracted into the floor, and Toriel seemed pleased.

"Well done! Follow me, please," she praised, leading everyone into the next room. A training dummy was lying in the room, and Jr's eyes lit up.

"Oh cool! Does this mean we get to practice our fighting skills on the dummy?" he asked Toriel, drawing two guns from their holsters. Toriel looked alarmed, and almost moved to swipe the guns.

"No, no! The dummy is not for fighting!" she explained. Jr pouted, reluctantly placing his guns back in their holsters.

"As humans living in the underground, you may be attacked by monsters, but fear not! When you are approached by a monster, you will enter a fight. When in a fight, strike up a friendly conversation," Toriel explained. "Try practicing with that dummy."

The kids walked up to the dummy. MOMO coughed nervously as she spoke, "Um...hello?"

 _The dummy doesn't seem much for conversation,_ a voice in Fei's head commented. _They probably should have beaten it up._

Toriel beamed. "Very good, young ones!" she praised before leading the humans into the next room. It seemed to be a long hall, gray pillars lining it.

"Now, for your next task-"

"Toriel, I'm sorry, but...you have ignored asking about us going home since we got here," Gaignun interrupted. "We would like to know how we..."

He was simply responded to with a cool look from Toriel mid-sentence, and he fell silent, face starting to grow red.

"I believe you need to show a bit of patience. I could pester you about why some of these children have weapons, but I'm choosing not to," Toriel pointed out, folding her arms.

"My apologies," Gaignun replied, softly.

"As I was saying...you will have to make it to the end of this hall without me in this task, young ones. I will be waiting at the end of the hall," Toriel informed before hurrying away.

Jr turned to Gaignun, a furious look on his face. "She's patronizing us! And she's treating you and the others like...like...!" he complained.

"I know, but we'll have to put up with it for now," Gaignun reminded. "I wonder why, though..."

"We probably should get going, Toriel must be frustrated as is..." Shion prompted. The party made their way down the hall, Toriel out of sight. Everyone had just reached the end of the room when Toriel stepped out from behind a pillar.

"I apologize, young ones. I wanted to see if you you could handle yourselves without me. I need to leave you for a while," she explained. Toriel took out a small, rectangular item with a black screen on it and handed it to MOMO.

"What's that?" Fei asked, glancing over at it.

"A cell phone. I will call you if something comes up," Toriel simply said before leaving.

"A cell phone? I...suppose that's used for communication?" Dunban asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, they are," Shion answered. "I get the feeling she doesn't trust us."

"She's treating us like little kids! She doesn't think we can handle ourselves!" Jr grumbled.

"I don't like it either, but what can we do?" Maria asked. "We might have to put up with it until we get home."

"Still! I'm used to that kind of crap at the Foundation, but...ugh!" Jr huffed.

"Easy, Jr. We should try to make our way through the ruins," Ziggy suggested. "Better than staying here and waiting for her to come back."

"Right, then...!" Jr agreed before the party of humans began to walk deeper into the ruins, unaware of another pair of eyes watching them.


	2. Ruins: Fei part 2

The next room held another ball of light hovering over some fallen leaves. Fei couldn't help but approach the ball of light and touch it again.

 _Why are there leaves in a cave? Flowers, I guess I could understand, but leaves?_

Fei tried not to laugh at this voice being so confused about leaves inside a cave.

"Fei? What're you doing?" Fiora asked, and Fei's face started heating up.

"Er…don't you see the ball of light over here?" he asked, turning around and gesturing to the ball of light.

"Well, yes, but…why touch it?" Fiora asked.

"I…felt an urge to touch it," Fei admitted.

Bart shook his head. "Well, you're not getting anything out of doing that, are you?"

"No. Sorry," Fei apologized as he rejoined the group. They started making their way towards the southeastern exit of the room, ignoring the northern exit.

"Ah…Shulk, was it? Would you mind answering a question I have?" Gaignun asked.

"Yeah. What is it?" Shulk asked, turning his attention toward him.

"When we encountered that flower…your eyes started glowing blue, and you predicted Flowey would hurt us. What happened there?" Gaignun questioned.

"Oh, that? I got a vision from my Monado!" Shulk answered. "The Monado can give me visions of the future, though more often than not they tell when we're about to be hurt by something."

"Visions? So you're like some sort of seer?" Maria asked, eyes widening.

"That's one way to put it," Shulk replied, nodding.

"Can I ask something else while we're talking?" Fei spoke up. "Melia, right? Why do you have wings on your head…?"

"Ah, that…I'm a High Entia," Melia answered. "I apologize, I forgot for a while that normally, we don't really make ourselves known to other people."

"A High Entia…if you don't mind me saying, your wings look very nice," Elly said, looking at Melia's wings in admiration.

"Thank you, Elly!" Melia responded, smiling with a blush on her face.

The party came upon a room with two holes in the wall, the ground before them slightly darker. Jin took a few steps forward and tentatively stepped on the darker ground. His foot sank through it, and he quickly stepped back and peered down.

"There's a room below us, but I don't think those holes will be big enough for us," he said aloud.

"So then we just need to jump over the looser ground. Sounds easy enough!" Bart commented. He took a few steps back before doing a running jump over the ground, landing safely on the other side. Fei chose to go next, picking up Chu-Chu and jumping over the ground. Chu-Chu pouted as she was set down, huffing.

Fei noticed, as one by one the other party members leaped over the gap, that no one from Shion's party was jumping. In fact, Shion seemed kind of nervous about trying to jump…

"Shion, it's a quick jump," Fei prompted. "C'mon!"

"Er…I don't usually jump, but…"

Shion took a deep breath, and jumped over the gap. Fei could see her shaking as she landed, and he winced.

"It was just a small jump…"

KOS-MOS was next, and she landed heavily compared to Shion. Shion immediately hurried to KOS-MOS' side, checking her over as the rest of her allies made the jump.

"Okay…everything seems fine!" Shion told KOS-MOS.

"Are you alright, Shion? You seemed reluctant to jump," KOS-MOS noticed.

"I'm fine, don't worry!" Shion answered, nodding quickly. The party entered the next room, which held a row of spikes blocking the way, and a rock just in front of a pressure plate. At that moment, the cell phone rang as Rico went to push the rock onto the plate. Shion answered the phone.

"Hello, this is Shion speaking…ah, hi, Toriel! What do you need?"

A pause followed, then muffled words. Shion looked up from the phone and asked, "Maria, Billy, Emeralda, MOMO, and Jr, do you guys prefer cinnamon or butterscotch?"

The five quickly gathered in a huddle and whispered to each other for a few moments before Emeralda answered, "Butterscotch!"

"They prefer butterscotch…ah, they would be okay with cinnamon too…okay, see you soon, Toriel!"

Shion pressed a button on the cell phone. "Wonder what that was about."

The next room held a large amount of loose ground, with a few patches of leaves here and there. The distance between each pile of leaves was too large to jump…

"Seems like we'll have to cross this through trial and error…" Dunban commented. He, Jin, and Citan carefully began stepping holes through the floor for a few minutes, until suddenly there was a loud click. Citan tested the floor, no longer causing holes in it.

"…well. Seems we can pass," he realized, and the party proceeded to the next room. There were spikes covering a bridge, and a set of three rocks in front of three buttons. Rico, Ziggy, and Reyn began moving the rocks, only for Reyn to yelp as his rock shouted indignantly.

"Hey! What're you doing?" the rock questioned.

"We need you to move! We want to solve the puzzle!" Reyn answered.

"Okay, I'll move!"

The rock moved forward barely a few centimeters. Reyn huffed.

"…could you move a little more?" he asked.

"Sure!"

The rock moved to Reyn's left. Reyn glared at the rock.

"…onto the button, I meant!"

"Ohh! Alright!" the rock answered, and moved onto the switch, disabling the spikes. The group began to move toward the exit, only for the spikes to pop back up. Fei looked behind him and saw the rock had moved off the switch.

"…can you please stay on the switch?" Fei asked.

"Oh, you want me to stay on the switch! Alright!" the rock replied, and returned to the switch. The spikes were disabled again, and the party moved on.

This room held a glowing ball of light, a piece of cheese on a table, and a small mouse hole. Fei brushed past the ball of light-

 _That piece of cheese looks like it's been there for a while. No mouse is going to want that._

Fei held back a sigh. Well, this voice sounded like a bundle of joy.

Up ahead, what looked like a ghost with blank-looking eyes was lying on a pile of leaves. Fei stepped closer, wondering if it was asleep.

"Zzzzzz…zzzzzzzz…"

"…it's just saying 'Z' repeatedly…" Fei realized.

"Excuse me? Er…ghost person? We have to get past you!" MOMO tried to rouse the ghost. The ghost did not move.

"I think we'll have to use force," Shulk guessed. The ghost slowly floated upright, looking nervous at the idea of being in a fight.

"H-Hey, maybe we can talk things out with them?" Maria suggested. "Toriel did say something about talking with the monsters…"

"Okay, then? Does anyone want to try talking with the ghost?" Fei asked. Shion stepped forward.

"Hello there…what's your name?" she asked the ghost.

"Oh…my name's Napstablook…nice to meet you…" the ghost responded, quietly.

 _Tell the ghost to get out of your way,_ the voice in Fei's head grumbled. _This is a waste of time._

"Oh, Napstablook, what's a ghost's favorite fruit? Boo-berry!" Shion joked.

Napstablook gave a little smile. "Heheh…that's kind of funny…"

 _Oh my god just tell the stupid ghost to piss off._

"Oh…can I show you something…?" Napstablook asked. Shion nodded, and Fei watched in amazement as Napstablook somehow cried themself a hat.

"I call it 'dapper blook'…do you like it…?" they asked.

"It's a very nice hat, Napstablook!" Shion praised.

"Ah…I usually come to the ruins because no one is around, but today I met someone nice…" Napstablook admitted before disappearing.

"Well, we solved that problem…let's keep going!" Shion encouraged. The party continued through the ruins.

–

"…I think that's Toriel's house," Billy noted as they walked towards a purple house. A tree with black bark stood in front of the house, red leaves crowding the bottom of the tree.

The walk through the ruins had been surprisingly quiet after meeting Napstablook. There was nothing to indicate there were any other monsters…

Toriel started walking towards them, surprised. "How did you get here, little ones? Are you hurt?" she asked.

Billy shook his head. "There was hardly anyone in the ruins…is it normally so quiet?" he wondered.

Toriel looked uncomfortable. "Ah…that's a story for another time. Come along, I have something to show you!" she quickly prompted, as she walked into the house. Everyone followed suit to see a brightly lit interior, the smell of cinnamon and butterscotch in the air. There was a staircase leading downward, Fei noted.

"Do you smell that? Surprise! It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie!" Toriel informed. "I wanted to celebrate your arrival, so we'll hold off on snail pie for tonight."

Fei could hear Jr quietly gagging at the mention of snail pie, and he couldn't blame him. Toriel guided the party towards the right, and opened the first door she walked near. Inside was a room colored in pinkish-red, a recently-made bed off to one side with stuffed animals lying on it and what seemed to be a box of toys at the foot of the bed.

"I didn't have much time to prepare a room for all of you, I apologize," Toriel admitted, sheepishly.

"No, no, it's okay!" Maria assured. "It's a nice room, at least!"

Toriel nodded. "Ah…is something burning? Er…make yourselves at home!" she replied before hurrying off.

"…Gaignun, do you mind if I take a nap?" Jr asked. "I feel like I need to take a quick snooze…"

"Go ahead, we won't leave without you," Gaignun responded, and the younger members of the group walked into the room, MOMO shutting the door behind her. The others headed toward the left, walking into a small living room with a table on it, a bookcase filled with books, a rocking chair in front of a fireplace, and what Fei assumed was a kitchen to the north of the room. Toriel was likely in the kitchen, he guessed.

"Toriel? Can we talk?" Shion asked. A few moments passed before Toriel walked back into the living room.

"What is it?" Toriel replied in an upbeat tone before noticing the other adults. She frowned lightly.

"Would you mind me asking a few questions about this place?" Shion questioned. "There are some things that I want to know about…"

"Of course. I suppose they want to know as well?" Toriel guessed. Shion nodded.

"First of all…this place isn't so sparsely populated, is it? We only encountered one other monster after we met you…" Shion guessed.

"No monster would ever pick a fight with a group of adult humans. They all know better than to do that," Toriel replied.

"But why? If we can end fights peacefully, we wouldn't harm them…" Shion pointed out.

"You might be willing to be peaceful, but what about your allies? As far as we all know, you all carry weapons and let those children have weapons, never mind the war…" Toriel countered.

"War? There was a war?" Citan asked.

"Yes. Haven't you heard of the war between humans and monsters?" Toriel replied.

"No, we haven't heard of that…we didn't even know this place or your kind existed before now," Sharla said, shaking her head.

"…I see. I shouldn't be surprised you haven't heard of us, really. The war was a long time ago…humans and monsters lived together, until humans declared war on us."

Toriel gave a pained chuckle. "We never stood a chance. Monsters are made of magic, humans are made of water…if a human has the intent to kill, they could easily slaughter monsters without a second thought. We lost, and we were sealed underground with a barrier made by seven of their most powerful mages. Monsters have had a…very barbaric view of humans ever since."

Multiple people winced. "We…We had no idea, Toriel, we're so sorry," Dunban apologized.

"I…should apologize as well. I know I haven't been on my best behavior since all of you arrived here," Toriel admitted.

"We understand," Fiora assured. "We're dealing with something like that at home too. We're dealing with awful creatures trying to wipe us all out, and…well, we're afraid of what will happen if we don't stop them."

"My sincerest apologies…would you mind talking with me for a while? It has also been a while since I had this many people to talk to," Toriel asked.

"Of course, Toriel!" Shion happily responded.

–

A few hours had been spent talking with Toriel before Fei walked into the kids' room with a slice of pie and a fork. Jr was fast asleep, as were the other kids save for Emeralda. MOMO was sleeping by Jr's side, while Billy and Maria were on the opposite side of the bed. Emeralda was staying by the side of the bed, looking up with an excited light in her eyes as Fei walked in.

"It's time to wake up," Fei softly called, and one by one the kids started waking up.

Jr whined, "Can't I have five more minutes?"

"I brought pie, Jr," Fei answered, and Jr bolted upright.

"…can I have the pie?" he asked. Fei nodded, handing him the plate and fork, and Jr started gobbling down the pie.

"What have we missed?" Billy asked.

"It turns out there was a war between humans and monsters a long time ago, and there were monsters afraid to fight us here. Toriel seems to be warming up to us," Fei answered.

"Fei's Kim…what about home…?" Emeralda asked.

"We didn't want to ask until Jr finished napping. Now that you guys are awake…are you ready to ask Toriel about going home?" Fei responded.

"Yeah, definitely!" Jr answered. "This place is nice and all, but I want to go home…"

Fei nodded. "Then let's ask."


	3. Ruins: Fei part 3

Fei led the kids into the living room, the others in their group still talking with Toriel. Citan, Dunban, and Jin had been talking with her for the past while about their families, with the others reading the various books Toriel had on hand. Toriel looked delighted as the kids entered the living room.

"I hope you all slept well! I have many fun activities planned for you–"

"Toriel, that's…that's nice and all, but…we want to know how to go home. I have an orphanage to look after, and I don't know how everyone is doing without me," Billy interrupted.

"Ah, but…this…this is your new home now, my child! Would…Would you like to hear a snail fact?" Toriel insisted.

"Toriel, we can't stay," Shion replied, putting away the book she was reading. "We have places to go home to…please, tell us how to get out of the underground?"

Toriel looked at Shion with a fearful expression, then at the kids. "…excuse me," she replied before walking quickly out of the living room and down the stairs in the entryway.

"Wait, Toriel!" Shion called, hurrying after her. The others followed suit, with those who had been reading putting their books away as Shion did. They ran down the stairs, coming upon Toriel making her way down a long hall made out of purple stone.

"Toriel, stop! Come on!" Bart shouted, voice echoing off the stone.

"…you wish to return 'home', yes? Ahead of us lies the exit of the ruins, which leads into the rest of the underground."

Toriel paused. "…I am going to destroy it so no one will ever leave again. Please, stay upstairs."

"What?! No, we can't let you do that!" Reyn replied, nearly bristling in anger.

"…every human who falls down here meets the same fate. They come, they leave, they die. You naïve humans…if you leave here, they…Asgore…will kill you all," Toriel quietly said. "I am trying to protect you…please, go to your room."

"No, Toriel…!" Dunban began as Toriel walked down the hall. The party followed her, trying to stop her.

"This is your final warning. Do not try to stop me," Toriel coldly warned.

"Please, can't we just talk?" Maria pleaded. Toriel hesitated before walking towards a large purple door, keeping her back turned toward the party. Fei noticed the design on it was much like the symbol on Toriel's robe.

"Please, Toriel…don't do this," chaos said, frowning deeply.

"…you wish to leave so badly? Hmph. You all are just like the others…there is only one solution to this."

Toriel turned around, hands glowing with an orange light, eyes staring coldly at the humans.

"No, don't say it…" Sharla murmured.

"Prove to me…prove to me you all are strong enough to survive!" Toriel shouted.

"Toriel, we don't need to fight!" Ziggy argued. "Please, just let us through!"

Toriel refused to answer him, instead starting to hurl fireball after fireball at the adults. Several people yelped and did their best to duck away from the fire.

"Come on, Toriel! Listen to us!" Rico shouted. Toriel continued to stay silent, swiping her hand and sending a row of small flames towards the party. Jr dashed toward Gaignun and stood protectively in front him from the fire, yelping as he was burned. Toriel immediately ceased her attack, gritting her teeth.

"What are you doing? Fight or run away!" she commanded.

"No! We're not going to hurt you!" Jr countered.

Toriel grunted in irritation, moving her attention from Jr and Gaignun to the other adults. She threw a fireball upward, and it began to rain embers all over most of the adults until it fizzled out, just barely missing the kids and Shion.

"What are you proving this way? Fight me or leave!" Toriel shouted, firing more fireballs at the adults.

"Toriel, we won't fight you!" Maria responded. The kids ran forward, trying to shield the older humans from Toriel. Toriel faltered, stopping her attack.

"…stop it. Stop looking at me like that," she growled. A stream of fire came from her hands, forced to avoid hitting the kids and barely touching the adults.

"Toriel, please…!" Jr begged.

"No more fighting!" Emeralda added.

"Go away!" Toriel ordered, throwing up another ball of fire to try to burn the other adults. Fei hissed in pain as he was burned.

 _Just kill her! She wants to kill you!_

No, Fei refused to hurt her, he wasn't going to lash out at her…!

The kids continued to stand in front of the adults, determined looks on their faces. Toriel refused to look at them, another stream of fire bursting from her hands and avoiding the kids.

 _KILL HER! Do you want to die?!_

What was wrong with this voice? Toriel wasn't going to kill them, she was starting to hesitate…

"…I know you want to go home," Toriel said at last, lowering her hands. "But…please, go upstairs now."

Billy shook his head. "Toriel…"

"I promise you all will be taken care of here," Toriel assured, giving a pained smile. "I know we do not have much, but…"

"Toriel, we…we can't," Shion said, shoulders sagging.

"We can have a good life here…why are you all making this so difficult? Please, go upstairs…" Toriel asked.

Silence fell, the kids refusing to budge an inch. Toriel gave a pained chuckle after a few minutes.

"Pathetic, is it not? I cannot save even a single child."

"Toriel, we appreciate you, we really do. We're thankful you wanted to look after us, but…we can't stay here," Billy assured.

"…I…I understand. The ruins are rather small once you get used to them, and…none of you would be happy here," Toriel realized. "My expectations, my loneliness, my fears…for you, my friends, I will put them aside."

The light covering her hands disappeared as though someone had blown it out like a candle, and Fei sighed in relief. Parts of him were singed, but Toriel was alive, at least.

"If you truly wish to leave the ruins, then…please, do not return. I…I hope you understand," Toriel said, looking downcast. Jr, Billy, MOMO, Maria, and Emeralda looked at each other, then hugged Toriel. She looked surprised at the hugs for a few moments before slowly hugging the children back.

"Ha…I almost don't want to let go…"

"We'll miss you, Toriel…" Maria murmured. Toriel sadly pulled away from the hugs.

"Goodbye, my friends. Please, be careful out there," she said before quietly walking away.

"…are you guys okay?" Jr asked the adults. "Those fire attacks…"

"I might have to treat a few people for burns, but I think we'll be okay otherwise," Sharla answered.

"Jr, you didn't have to shield me like that," Gaignun pointed out.

"You could have gotten hurt! I didn't want you to get burned by all that fire!" Jr huffed. Gaignun sighed and nodded. The party walked past the door and down a long hall, eventually coming upon another room, and Flowey sticking out of a patch of grass with a smirk on his face.

"Clever. Very clever. I bet you all feel like the smartest people in the world, don't you? In this world, it's kill or be killed," Flowey sneered.

"Not if we can help it," Fei responded. "If we can spare people down here…we're not going to kill."

Flowey giggled. "So you were able to spare the life of a single person. You didn't encounter any other monsters here, though! They were all too scared to even approach you!"

"W-Well…we know that, but…" MOMO began, reluctant to look Flowey in the eye.

"Riki no killer!" Riki piped up. "Riki and friends won't hurt monsters!"

"Riki is right! Chu were going to try to hurt us, so leave us alone!" Chu-Chu agreed.

"Hee hee hee…you insist you're not a killer now, but what will happen if you meet a relentless murderer? You'll just die again, and again, _and again,_ until you finally decide that it has to stop!"

Flowey's face was twisted into an awful sneer by this point. "What will you do then? Will you finally kill them out of frustration? Or will you all give up entirely on this world and let ME inherit the power to control it?"

"We…We won't let you do anything, you vile little weed!" Bart snapped.

"Ahaha…don't worry, my little monarchs, my plan isn't regicide. I am the prince of this world's future…this is so much more entertaining, anyways!"

Flowey's face suddenly bulged out of his petals, and he gave an awful laugh before vanishing into the ground. The exit to the ruins was just up ahead…

"Power to control the world…what is he talking about? Do we have something he doesn't?" Shion wondered.

"What I wanna know is why he knows that monsters avoided us in the ruins. Was he watching us?" Reyn asked aloud.

"I wouldn't put it past him at this point," Ziggy responded. "And…before I forget…MOMO, you and the others were brave during that fight. You were willing to protect us like that…thank you."

MOMO beamed, a big smile on her face. "Thank you, Ziggy! I noticed Toriel wasn't aiming at us on purpose, so I thought maybe the best way to try to help you guys was to make it so she had to go around us."

"You could have gotten hurt…are you all okay?" chaos questioned.

"We're fine, she avoided hitting us!" Maria answered. "Don't worry, alright?"

"We'll try. If we're ready…let's leave the ruins," Shion prompted.

The party began to leave the ruins, ready for whatever the underground would throw at them…


	4. Snowdin: Shion part 1

The door to the ruins shut behind the group as they walked into a snow-covered forest, the ground beneath them crunching at every step. The air was cold and dry, and the sky was dark...maybe the sun was behind the clouds?

"There are no monsters here, Shion," KOS-MOS reported after a brief moment of silence.

"I hope we didn't scare them off," Melia said, looking around her. "Though I suppose that might be too much to ask for right now..."

"Can we get moving?" Shulk asked. "I know KOS-MOS said there's no one here, but it feels like someone is watching us from somewhere..."

"Yeah, we should," Shion agreed with a nod, and the group started walking into the woods. The trees seemed to get taller and taller as they continued on, the forest darker and darker. For a moment, Shion thought she heard a pair footsteps from far away, but resisted the urge to look behind her.

"This place is chu quiet," Chu-Chu commented.

"It's creeping me out," Jr admitted, frowning. "I half-expect to see some kind of monster that wants to kill us..."

"Let's hurry out of here before something gets the chance to attack us," Rico urged, and everyone's pace sped up. Shion passed over a branch, but several footsteps later...

 _Snap_

"W-Wah!"

"What the..."

Shion stopped and looked behind her. Riki had been lagging behind the group, and was standing near the branch, now broken into bits. Everyone else was instinctively reaching for their weapons if they had any, eyes wide.

"Is something messing with us? This is getting old very fast...!" Ziggy remarked, trying to calm down.

Shion looked ahead of her. Up ahead seemed to be where the forest ended, some sort of gate placed over a bridge. If they ran...

"This place ends just up ahead! C'mon, let's go!" Shion encouraged. Everyone broke into a run, Riki hopping onto Chu-Chu's head so he could attempt to catch up with everyone else. They soon reached the bridge, but now they could hear another set of footsteps behind them, slowly walking up to them.

'KOS-MOS said no other monster was here. Who...Who's following us?' Shion wondered.

The footsteps came to a stop right behind them. No one dared move.

"Humans...don't you know how to greet a new friend?" A quiet voice asked. Shion gulped nervously.

"Turn around and shake my hand."

The group slowly turned around to see a short, squat figure covered in shadow. They extended a hand for someone to shake. Shulk stepped forward to grab the being's hand and

 _Phhhhhbbbbbbbtt_

It was as though suddenly a beam of light lit up the area. The figure was no longer covered in shadow; they were what seemed to be a small skeleton, with pinpoints of light for eyes, a toothy grin, a white shirt under a blue hoodie, black shorts, and what Shion could only assume were slippers.

"Hehe. Gotcha," they chuckled in a deep voice, pulling back their hand. A small whoopee cushion was in their hand, Shion noticed. Shulk seemed frozen, unsure of how to respond to being pranked. After a few moments of shocked silence, Jr was the first to start giggling.

"Okay...okay, you...you got us there!" he admitted. "You had us scared out of our wits!"

"Sorry about that. I'm Sans. Sans the skeleton. Normally, right now I'm supposed to be on guard and try to capture you guys, but...it looks like too much work," the skeleton admitted.

"Capture us? So you'll let us go?" Citan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to, but you see...I have a brother who's working with me, and he's a human-hunting fanatic. He's about to come by here, sooo..."

Sans paused to think for a few moments. "...head through that gate," he prompted. Shion led her friends through the gate, and to a clearing with a small lamp and a messy-looking post.

"Now, you'll want to hide behind that conveniently-shaped..." Sans began before pausing and looking at the group.

"We couldn't fit behind that tiny lamp if we tried!" Fiora pointed out.

"...good point. Try hiding behind my post," Sans suggested. The party hurried over to Sans' post and ducked behind it, peeking out behind it just as another skeleton ran into the area. This one was tall and lanky, wearing some piece of what Shion could only assume was armor with a black insignia on it, a red scarf, red gloves, and a pair of boots.

"Hey, bro, what's up?" Sans asked.

"Sans, you know what is up, brother! It has been eight days and you still haven't recalibrated your puzzles!" the new skeleton reminded, angrily.

"Hey, Papyrus. I've been meaning to do that, but I've been too tired lately. Guess you could say..." Sans began.

"Sans, don't you dare..." Papyrus warned.

"I'm bone-tired," Sans cracked. The sound of a rimshot echoed in the forest, and a few people snorted at the pun. Papyrus groaned, covering his face with his gloves.

"Don't laugh at that, that was awful!" Bart hissed at the people trying not to laugh at the pun.

"That was a good pun, though!" MOMO protested. "How could you not laugh at that?"

"Anyways, Pap, why don't you take a look at my station?" Sans asked. Shion couldn't help but glare at Sans for attempting to give away their hiding spot.

Papyrus removed his gloves from his face and scoffed. "I don't need to look at your station to tell it's still a mess, as usual! You need to get it fixed up before a human comes by!"

"I will, I will," Sans answered, nodding.

"We have to capture a human! Then I will be promoted to the Royal Guard by Undyne! People will ask to be my friend! I will be popular!" Papyrus declared.

"I bet looking at my station will help with that," Sans suggested. Shion sighed in exasperation, shaking her head.

"Sans! You need to clean it up yourself! I'm heading off, I need to make sure a human has triggered one of my puzzles. I suggest you put a little more 'backbone' into your work!"

Papyrus ran off, laughing "Nyeh heh heh heh!"

Shion and her friends slowly walked out of their hiding spot, a few people sighing in relief. Sans looked amused.

"As you can see, I think my brother would really like it if he saw a human. He's been feeling down lately, so...you'd be doing me a favor if you played along with him," he informed.

"We'll...try to," Fei answered before he and the others headed deeper into the snowy forest. There was a distant sound of running water, and Shion looked around for a few moments before spotting a river to the north, and a glowing ball of light. Out of curiosity, she touched it.

 _The convenience of that station fills you with determination._

Shion blinked in surprise and looked around. "Did someone just...?"

"Are you alright, Shion?" Shulk asked. "Why are you touching that ball of light?"

"Uh...I was curious about why Fei was touching the others, so I decided to see why for myself. Did you guys hear someone speak?" Shion responded.

"No, I didn't hear anyone speaking, Shion," KOS-MOS said.

Shion bit back a sigh. "Never mind. I think I should have napped when we were in Toriel's house."

The party continued forward, stumbling to a halt when they saw Sans talking with Papyrus. Wait, wasn't Sans just behind them?

"So, as I was saying about Undyne..." Papyrus was saying before glancing toward the party. His voice died, eyes bulging out of their eye sockets.

"Bro? You okay?" Sans asked.

"S...Sans...do you...see what I am seeing?" Papyrus asked, not taking his eyes off the humans.

"I dunno, bro, looks like a pile of rocks to me-"

"Not the rocks, Sans! Humans! A whole...A whole group of them! Holy moly, look! Look!" Papyrus squealed.

Sans whistled sharply as he looked at the humans. "Might want to catch them before they leave."

"Right! Humans, prepare yourselves! For I, the Great Papyrus, will capture all of you! Then you will all be delivered to the capital, and I will become part of the Royal Guard. No...with this many humans...I could become co-head of the Royal Guard with Undyne!" Papyrus realized.

"That's...nice, I suppose?" was all Shion could say in response.

"Nyeh heh heh heh heh! Step forward, humans, and face my puzzles if you dare!" Papyrus challenged before darting away. Sans chuckled once Papyrus was out of earshot

"Well, that definitely cheered him up. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye socket out for you all," he assured before the party walked onward. They came upon another station, though this one had a dog's face decorating it.

"A dog...?" Melia murmured. Shion took another step forward, and suddenly a black and white dog poked its head out of the station, a dog treat in its mouth. Its nose was twitching, eyes darting side to side.

"Something moved...if something moved in front of me, like a human...I'll make sure it won't move again!" the dog barked. He climbed out of his station holding two daggers, sniffing all around the group.

 _Don't move. Pet him when his back is turned on you._

Shion felt wary about this voice, but...it was suggesting to pet the dog, to be fair to it. The moment the dog had its back turned toward her, Shion reached out and pet the dog. Immediately, the dog's tail started wagging furiously, and he started yipping loudly.

"PET! I'VE BEEN PET!"

Shion took a step back and let the dog bark and yap for a few moments, until he finally calmed down. He looked around in confusion.

"S-Something pet me that wasn't moving...I-I need dog treats for this!" the dog nervously barked, hurrying back into his station.

"Well...that's one way to deal with a dog," Ziggy noted. Shion noticed Melia and Jr's eyes were lit up at the sight of that dog.

"Do you think there's more dogs here, Shion?" Jr asked, almost bouncing on his feet.

"I...don't know? We'll have to see," Shion responded as they continued forward. Sans had somehow gotten ahead of them again, and was standing near a large patch of ice.

"Hey. Thought I should give you guys some advice. My brother has a very special attack he might use if you fight him. If you ever see a blue attack, don't move," Sans suggested. "Think of...blue stop signs when you see blue attacks."

"Blue...stop signs?" Fiora repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Blue stop signs," Sans said, nodding. "I gotta ask, though, are some of you going to be okay here? Some of you aren't exactly dressed well for the cold."

Bart huffed. "We're just fine! You're wearing shorts, you're in no position to talk!"

"Buddy, I'm a skeleton. I can't exactly feel cold like other monsters do," Sans reminded.

"I meant-agh, never mind," Bart grumbled, looking away.

"Are there any other dogs here?" Melia asked Sans. "We just ran into one...!"

"Ohh, you probably ran into Doggo. He's part of the Royal Guard like the other dogs," Sans answered. "Lessee...there's Lesser Dog, Greater Dog, Dogamy, Dogaressa..."

"And they're all dogs?" Jr asked, eyes wide.

"Yep. Snowdin's Canine Unit. I'm pretty sure if you pet them enough, they'll let you go without much trouble," Sans confirmed. Jr and Melia exchanged overjoyed looks, Jr almost ready to run off and pet the dogs if Gaignun wasn't there.

"Thank you, we'll be on our way, Sans," Shion thanked before continuing on her way, the group sliding on the ice.

Papyrus was...somehow waiting with Sans near a cleared out patch of snow, a blue orb in Papyrus' hands. Shion looked behind her, then at Sans.

"How...you were just behind us..." she began.

"Humans, I believe you will find this puzzle quite shocking, if I do say so myself!" Papyrus declared, grinning. "This, here, is an invisible electricity maze!"

"Do all skeletons happen to make awful jokes, or are you two the only ones?" Bart questioned.

"Well, we're the only two skeletons that we know about. I guess you could say we have good funny bones," Sans cracked.

"Sans! Now is not the time for your awful jokes! Humans, if you touch the walls of this maze, it will administer a hearty zap! Try the maze, I dare you!" Papyrus taunted.

"So...who's going to try this maze first? Any volunteers?" Citan asked.

"I'll give it a try," chaos volunteered. He took a step towards the clearing, only for Papyrus to be zapped instead. Shion cringed.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm...I'm fine, human, ow..." Papyrus groaned.

"Bro, I think the humans need to hold that orb," Sans suggested.

"Ah, right!"

Papyrus paused. "...er, I did not plan for more than one human to have to solve this puzzle..."

"Eh, just give it to the guy who was about to try the puzzle," Sans said with a shrug. Papyrus walked into the clearing, tracking snow onto it. He handed the orb to chaos before quickly retreating back to Sans' side.

"...he does realize he tracked snow and highlighted a path for us, right?" Dunban whispered to Jin.

"I'm not sure if he knows or not," Jin mumbled back, watching as chaos followed the path Papyrus had made. Papyrus seemed astonished.

"You humans are quite clever, I'll give you that, but just wait until you try my next puzzle!" he declared, dashing away and leaving the party to cross pass the maze unharmed.

"Your brother is...interesting, Sans," Melia commented.

"Heh. Isn't he the coolest? He's pretty good at making puzzles, in my opinion," Sans responded.

"Sans, why...why do you keep popping up ahead of us?" Shion questioned. "It's like one second you're behind us, and the next you're talking with Papyrus!"

Sans winked. "I know some shortcuts. Aw come on, don't look at me like that," he said when Shion crossed her arms and gave him a cold look. "Magicians never reveal their secrets and all that."

"I guess that'll do for an answer. C'mon, Shion, let's go see the other dogs!" Jr prompted.

"Ah...might as well," Shion decided, and the party continued deeper into the woods.


	5. Snowdin: Shion part 2

There was hardly any sign of monsters as Shion's lot walked through a part of Snowdin. One or two times, Shion spotted a pair of eyes watching them from a clump of trees before disappearing, but…

"How do we tell those monsters we're not here to kill them?" chaos wondered.

"Pray we come across a monster that's not part of the canine unit and hope for the best?" Shion suggested.

"I suppose…I feel like I'm intruding on this place, in all honesty. I can understand their want to be wary of us," chaos admitted.

Shion could only grunt in response as they proceeded on. Sans and Papyrus were once again waiting for them, this time with a piece of paper lying in front of them.

"Humans! Your next puzzle was designed by my brother, who…put out the piece of paper you see before you," Papyrus informed, looking mildly disappointed. Shion picked up the paper and saw it was a word search. It had gotten somewhat soggy from sitting in the snow, but everything was still legible.

"Er…I'm not interested in doing this, sorry," Shion said as she set the paper back down.

"Darn. Should have used today's crossword instead," Sans responded, not sounding upset in the slightest.

"Sans, you lazybones! You should have used the junior jumble instead!" Papyrus corrected, crossing his arms.

"The junior jumble? That's for baby bones, bro," Sans commented.

"Baby bones?! How dare you, those puzzles are some of the hardest that I have ever encountered!"

Papyrus turned toward the humans. "Humans, settle this for us! Which is harder, the crossword or the junior jumble?"

Shion glanced at Papyrus, then at Sans. Well…it wouldn't hurt to say the junior jumble.

"The…junior jumble is harder," she answered, and Papyrus' eyes lit up.

"The humans must truly be clever if even they know the junior jumble is harder! Nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus laughed as he dashed away.

"…the junior jumble?" Reyn asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Personally, I find the crossword harder, alright? I just said that to make him happy," Shion stated. Reyn looked as though he was going to say something, but chose to just stay silent.

"Thanks for agreeing with him," Sans thanked. "Yesterday, he got stumped trying to 'solve' the horoscope."

"You're…welcome," Shion replied, walking on. She came upon a plate of spaghetti on a table with a fork, a microwave on a separate table, a note lying near the spaghetti, a mouse hole built into a wall of rock, and a ball of light. Shion touched the light-

 _Knowing the mouse might one day find a way to heat up the spaghetti…it fills you with determination._

"What does this paper say…'Humans! Please enjoy this spaghetti! Little do you know, this spaghetti is a trap…designed to entice you! You'll be so busy eating it…that you won't realize that you aren't progressing! Thoroughly japed again by the Great Papyrus! Nyeh heh heh, Papyrus.' Er…how long has that spaghetti been there…?" Billy wondered, looking at the plate.

MOMO walked towards the plate and tried to lift the fork. It was frozen to the table…

"…let's not eat it, I don't think I have anything on me for food poisoning," Sharla suggested.

The team walked on, no sign of Papyrus or Sans nearby, though there were spikes blocking the way. A pile of snow covered what seemed to be some sort of mini-map of the area, a bright red X where a cleared out patch of snow was. Shion began to walk toward the patch was when a figure leapt out from the trees. Melia and Jr squealed with joy when they realized what it was.

It was a white dog standing upright, wearing a suit of armor, and holding a shield with a familiar-looking crest and a sword in each hand. Its ears were pointed forward and its fur was bristling, tail held out away from it.

 _Lesser Dog_ , the voice in Shion's head identified. _It might bite while being defensive._

"Jr, Melia, be careful with that dog," Gaignun warned before Shion could speak up.

"But Gaignun, I want to pet it!" Jr protested. Look at it! It's so cute…!"

"It could bite," Gaignun countered, exasperated.

"I'll try to calm it down," KOS-MOS volunteered. She walked towards Lesser Dog, and the dog started barking at her.

"KOS-MOS, be careful!" Shion warned. KOS-MOS reached out to pet Lesser Dog, and…it seemed to calm down, tail wagging slowly and ears relaxing.

"We mean no harm," KOS-MOS assured Lesser Dog. "We're only here to pet you."

"Can we go pet him now?" Jr asked Gaignun. "Please?"

"Alright, you can, but be careful!" Gaignun answered, and Melia and Jr ran up to Lesser Dog and began petting him. Lesser Dog's tongue lolled out of his mouth, tail wagging furiously, as the two started letting him. Was it just Shion, or…

"His…neck is extending…" Rico noticed. Lesser Dog's neck was growing longer the more the two pet it…

"Okay, Jr, Melia, we probably should get going," Gaignun prompted. The two continued to pet Lesser Dog, ignoring Gaignun.

"…Melia? Er…Lesser Dog's neck…" Fiora began. The two just kept petting the dog, his neck already making him tower over Ziggy and Rico.

 _…it's possible they may have a problem._

Finally, Ziggy dragged the pair away from Lesser Dog. "I think that's enough petting him."

"Aww, Ziggy, come on!" Jr whined.

"We were having fun!" Melia added. Lesser Dog scampered off, looking happy it was pet so much. Ziggy sighed and shook his head, and the party started forward, only for a pair of dogs in black robes to appear. Like the dogs before then, they were on their hind legs, but they carried axes with them.

"What's that smell?" the first one barked.

"Where's that smell?" the other wondered.

"If you're a smell…"

"…identify yoursmellf!"

The two dogs sniffed around the party, and Shion tried to hold still.

"Hmm…here's that weird smell…it makes me want to eliminate…"

"…eliminate YOU!"

 _Dogamy and Dogaressa. They're suspicious of your scents._

"Okay, so unlike Doggo, they rely on their smell…anyone have any ideas?" Shion asked.

"We could have someone roll in the dirt and hope they think they're smelling a weird puppy," Citan suggested.

"I'm not going to roll around in the–h-hey!" Reyn yelled as the Dogi swung their axes at him, just barely missing him.

"Someone has to do it, we can't go back and forth on this forever!" Maria reminded.

"Riki will roll in dirt!" Riki volunteered. "Riki will try to smell like weird puppy!"

Riki started to roll in the dirt and snow, getting his fur filthy. Shion held Riki up once he was finished, and the Dogi started sniffing.

"Smells like…"

"A weird puppy! But are you really…"

"Does Riki have to pet dogs?" Riki asked Shion. Shion nodded, and Riki reached out with his ear…wing…things and petted the two dogs. Their tails started to wag, ears perking up.

"A puppy has pet us!"

"A new world has been opened for us!"

The two dashed off after a few moments, looking excited. Shion set Riki down, and he tried to shake off the dirt and snow on his fur.

"Thank you for doing that, Riki!" Melia thanked. "We'll try to clean you when we can…"

"Riki happy to help!" Riki responded, brightly. The party continued forward, finding Papyrus deep in thought. He jumped as he heard the party walking toward him.

"How did you avoid my trap? And, more importantly…is there any left for me?" Papyrus asked.

"Er…we…didn't eat any because we wanted to share with you!" MOMO responded.

"Wowie! Really? Then fret not, humans! I, master chef Papyrus, will make you all all the pasta you could ever want! Heh heh heh nyeh!"

Papyrus hurried away, and the party followed after him, arriving at what seemed to be a new puzzle. Grayed out tiles stretched out before them, a machine of some sort next to Sans and Papyrus.

"Humans! You're going to love this puzzle! It was made by the great Dr. Alphys! Once I throw the switch, the tiles here will change color! Each color has a different function!"

Papyrus started going on and on about the colors, but Shion couldn't find it in her to pay attention at the moment. Truth be told, she was starting to get a little tired and cold from Snowdin, and she just wanted to find a place to sleep…

"…how was that? Understand?" Papyrus asked. Shion nodded, trying to pretend she heard what he was saying.

"Great! And one last thing…this puzzle is entirely random! When I pull the switch, you will see a puzzle not even I have seen before! Now, let's begin!"

Papyrus pulled a switch on the machine, and the tiles began to flash numerous colors for several moments. When it stopped…the tiles were all colored pink. Papyrus stared for a few moments before spinning away.

"…I feel bad, I think he wanted an actual puzzle out of this…" Elly guessed.

"Don't feel bad, I think he's still enjoying himself at least," Sans guessed. "These things happen. At least it means less stuff for me to do."

The group continued walking forward, coming upon Lesser Dog making snow sculptures of himself. His neck had returned to normal, it seemed, and he was panting happily as he worked on his snowdog.

"Awww, look at him! He's making a snowdog!" Jr squealed.

"Jr, I get the feeling you either have a dog or want one," Citan chuckled.

"I want to get a dog, but I've been so busy lately, I haven't had time to actually think about getting one…" Jr admitted.

"I said he could get a dog so long as he's willing to take care of it," Gaignun added. "Though I'm not too keen on having a dog around home…"

"Are you more of a cat person then?" Maria asked.

"You could say that," Gaignun answered with a nod. The group walked on, Shion brushing past a ball of light.

 _The thought that one day the dog will create the perfect snowdog fills you with determination._

Shion and her group came upon a tiny dog house and what seemed to be several small mountains of snow. There didn't seem to be anything here…

"Didn't Sans mention one other dog?" Elly asked the party.

"Yeah, Greater Dog!" Emeralda answered.

"He might be nearby, if that doghouse is any indication," Fiora guessed, walking forward. She came to a halt when a pile of snow in front of her started moving, revealing a small white dog.

"Oh! Hello?" Fiora cautiously greeted. The new dog gave a high-pitched bark before it suddenly rose up, revealing itself to be in a giant suit of armor.

"…well, I think we found Greater Dog," Bart declared.


	6. Snowdin: Shion part 3

"H-Hey there, Greater Dog..." Fiora gulped, taking a few steps away from Greater Dog. No one knew how Greater Dog was going to react, so far he seemed neutral to the humans...

Greater Dog sniffed the party curiously, holding his tail still. He tilted his head, ears flicking.

"Uh...do we...try to beckon him?" Bart wondered.

"Wouldn't hurt to try...Greater Dog, come here!" Rico beckoned. Greater Dog happily bounded over to Rico, tail wagging. Rico gently pet him, a small smile on his face.

"That's so cute...! I think he likes you!" Melia said, happily. Greater Dog barked, patting the ground in front of it. Rico looked around before gathering up a ball of snow and tossing it a little ways away from Greater Dog. Greater Dog ran to grab the snowball...only to grab a large mountain of snow and drop it at Rico's feet. He looked at Rico, tilting his head.

"Ah...good dog," Rico praised, petting Greater Dog again. He gave a pleased woof before lying down and rolling onto his back, tail wagging as fast as it could.

"I think it wants it belly rubbed!" Jr chimed in. Rico simply nodded and did his best to rub Greater Dog's stomach through his armor.

 _Critical pet!_

Greater Dog looked pleased as he stood up. He licked Rico's cheek before leaving the area.

"That was...kind of cute, to be honest," Rico said, watching Greater Dog leave before the group continued on. A long, wooden bridge stretched across a large gap, and everyone slowly walked over it.

"Is this going to fall apart if too many people walk on it?" Shion wondered aloud, worried.

"Let's pray it doesn't, I have no idea what would happen if we fall," Shulk responded. Papyrus and Sans were once again waiting for them, blocking the way off the bridge.

"Humans! This is your final and most dangerous challenge! Behold, the gauntlet of deadly terror!" Papyrus shouted. Several weapons and a dog dangling on a rope hung above the humans, and Shion gulped nervously.

"Ohh, please not on this bridge..."

"When I say the word, it will activate! Cannons will fire! Spikes will swing! Blades will slice! Each part will swing violently up and down!" Papyrus explained. "Only the tiniest chance of victory will remain!"

"There is no way he's serious about this!" Bart hissed.

"Are you ready?! Because! I! Am! About! To do it!" Papyrus warned.

A few moments passed, with no one speaking or moving a muscle.

"...well, what's the holdup?" Sans asked Papyrus.

"Holdup? What holdup?! I'm about to activate it now!" Papyrus answered.

Still, no one moved or spoke. Shion wondered if Papyrus was having second thoughts now.

"...doesn't look very activated to me," Sans noted.

"W-Well! This challenge...might be too easy for the humans," Papyrus admitted. The weapons retracted, and there was a collective sigh of relief from the party.

"However, this was still a decisive victory for the Great Papyrus! Nyeh heh...heh!"

Papyrus darted off again, leaving Sans by himself. The party finished crossing the bridge.

"I don't know what my brother's going to do now. If I were you guys, I would make sure I understood blue attacks," Sans admitted.

"Is there a town up ahead? I'm getting a little tired," Shion said, drooping.

"Yup. Snowdin has an inn you can rest up at, though... I'd be careful if I were you guys. As you can probably tell, the underground doesn't get many humans down here..." Sans suggested.

"We will. We mean no harm, really..." Shion pointed out.

"Even so...well, just be careful," Sans advised, and the party entered Snowdin.

Festive lights covered a banner reading 'Welcome to Snowdin!', the town populated with houses built out of wood. What seemed to be a Christmas tree was in the center of the town, presents beneath it. There was a building labeled 'Inn', next to a building labeled 'Shop'.

"Is there anyone else who needs to rest at the inn? We might have to face Papyrus soon..." Shion asked.

"We might as well all rest while we can. We were all just walking out in the snow, after all," Sharla answered. Shion led everyone into the inn, seeing a rabbit monster at the front desk.

"Welcome to Snowdin's Inn! How may I help you all today?" she asked.

"We'd like to stay in a room, please. How much does one room cost?" Shion asked.

"That'll be 50 gold!" the rabbit responded. Everyone quickly checked their pockets.

"A-Ah...we...don't seem to have the money for a room..." Shulk realized.

"You guys are traveling with kids, right?" the rabbit asked, looking at the younger members of the party. "You can use the room upstairs for free if you'd like!"

"Really? Thank you so much, we appreciate your generosity!" Elly thanked.

"It's no problem! Room is upstairs on the right!" the rabbit informed, and the group shuffled upstairs. There was a large bed in the room, big enough for only a few people.

"Is there anyone else besides Shion who needs to lie on the bed?" Sharla asked.

"I do," Gaignun admitted, sheepishly. "I was worried about bringing it up earlier but...well, Sans had a point about not being dressed properly for the cold."

"Gaignun, that isn't healthy for you!" Sharla scolded.

"I apologize, Sharla. Everyone seemed busy dealing with Papyrus and all, I didn't want to make anyone worry," Gaignun apologized.

Sharla sighed and nodded. "Anyone else?"

"I need to take a nap," Dunban answered.

"I could use a nap chu," Chu-Chu responded, yawning.

The people who needed to curled up in bed, Shion quickly falling asleep.

Shion woke up some time later, covers curled around her. She had no idea how long she had slept, and for a moment she half-expected to see the surroundings of her room on the Elsa when she opened her eyes. She quickly remembered no, she was far away from the Elsa, she was in some underground cave...

"Shion, are you awake?" chaos asked. Shion slowly sat up and nodded, yawning.

"How long were we asleep?" she asked, looking around. She seemed to be the last one to wake up...

"A few hours. Did you sleep well?" chaos replied.

"More or less," Shion said, nodding. "Feeling much better now, at least."

"Sans dropped by an hour ago," Elly informed. "He said Papyrus is waiting for us at the eastern exit of Snowdin."

"Does he intend to fight us?" Shion wondered. She climbed out of bed and walked with the group out of the inn. A few monsters seemed on edge with humans in town, trying not to look at them. One monster, a reptile of some sort without any arms, wearing a striped shirt, looked at the humans in wonder as they made their way toward the eastern exit of town.

Snow started to fall, fog rolling in as the party left town. It slowly became harder and harder to see anything, and the party stopped when they saw Papyrus standing not far from them.

"Humans...ever since you came into Snowdin, I wondered what your purposes were for being down here. You aren't here to kill, but...I wonder if..."

Papyrus shook his head. "No! I swore that I was going to capture a human! I will join the Royal Guard, no matter what!" he declared. "Humans...prepare yourselves!"

Bones started forming around Papyrus before aiming themselves at the humans. They were slow enough for the party to dodge, thankfully.

"C'mon, Papyrus, can't we talk this out?" Fiora asked.

"I'm afraid not, human! I, the Great Papyrus, will capture you all!" Papyrus answered.

'Seems easy enough so far...his attacks are slow enough..' Shion thought.

 _Don't forget his blue attack._

Right, his blue attack...they wouldn't get hurt as long as they didn't move.

"Let's see if you can handle my fabled blue attack!" Papyrus shouted. A number of light blue bones passed by the group, and everyone stayed perfectly still until the last blue bone passed them.

"Well, that wasn't so bad!" Reyn declared.

All of a sudden, it felt like a weight was on Shion's shoulders, and she staggered to one knee. Everyone else reacted similarly, a blue tint covering the humans.

"What the hell?!" Jr swore, barely dodging a bone aimed at him.

Papyrus grinned. "You're all blue now! That's my attack! Nyeh heh heh heh heh!"


	7. Snowdin: Shion part 4

The eastern exit of Snowdin was quickly becoming a foggy battlefield littered with bones from Papyrus' attacks, Shion and her allies doing as well as they could to dodge the bones. As it turned out, this blue attack meant subjecting them to strong gravity, slowing their movements and forcing them to jump over some of Papyrus' moves.

Shion had to give Papyrus credit, the attacks that were slow enough everyone could sidestep them before were now just barely slow enough for them to dodge at all, never mind the waves of bones they had to jump over or the fog itself. She was starting to get tired, any energy she recovered at the inn now spent. She needed to distract Papyrus...

 _Flirt with him._

...what? No, she was not going to flirt with him! Never mind any lingering feelings she had about Kevin, she wasn't going to flirt!

 _Flirt with the skeleton! You need to distract him, right? That will distract him!_

...this...hopefully would work. Shion had every right not to trust this voice, and yet...

"Hey, uh...Papyrus! After this...would you like to hang out with me?" Shion asked.

Papyrus ceased his attacks, eyes widening. "What?! Human, are you flirting with me?"

"Shion, are you...are you really..." Jr began.

"I...I am!" Shion answered. "I'm flirting with you!"

"W-Well! I'll have you know I'm a skeleton with very high standards!" Papyrus informed.

"I, uh...I like spaghetti and puzzles?" Shion offered.

"Oh no!" Papyrus gasped. "You're meeting all of my standards! L-Let's date later, okay?"

 _I thought that would work and he would stop attacking!_

Papyrus continued throwing bone attacks, and Shion sighed as she continued to dodge the bones.

"I can almost taste my future popularity! Papyrus: co-head of the Royal Guard and unparalleled spagettore!" Papyrus declared.

"So, anyone else have any bright ideas on how to get him to stop?" Bart asked. "Since flirting did absolutely nothing..."

"Undyne will be really proud of me! The king will trim a hedge in the shape of my smile!" Papyrus went on.

"I thought it would work, okay?" Shion pointed out, shortly before a bone hit her upside the head. She yelped and lost her balance, Jin quickly coming to the rescue and catching her before she fell.

"Shion, are you alright?" he asked. Shion struggled out of his grasp, turning her back toward him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!" she snapped.

"My brother...well, he won't change very much. I'll have lots of admirers, but will anyone truly like me as much as that human?" Papyrus wondered.

"This...is getting really tiring..." Melia admitted, gasping for breath.

"Let's hope he tires himself out!" Fiora said, dodging another bone aimed at her.

"Humans like you are really rare...and I don't know if they'll let you all go after you're captured and sent away..." Papyrus admitted, his attacks slowing a little.

"So will you spare us, then?" Elly asked, hopefully.

Papyrus shook his head angrily. "Urgh...who cares! Give up already!" he shouted.

"No! We won't hurt you or let you capture us!" MOMO retorted.

"Give up or face my special attack!" Papyrus declared.

 _Hang in there._

Shion was trying. The wave of bones she had to jump and duck was getting harder and harder to maneuver around...

"You won't give in? Very well, here comes my special attack!" Papyrus announced. A white dog appeared in front of him, gnawing on a bone. Papyrus glared at the dog.

"What the heck! That's my special attack! You stupid dog, give that back!"

He started chasing the dog, eventually giving up and letting the dog run off with the bone. "Haa...well, that was a bust. I'll just use a really cool regular attack."

Several large waves of bones were flung at the group. Shion heard several cries of pain, and looked behind her for a quick moment to see Dunban scooping up Riki and Fei picking up Chu-Chu as they jumped over the bones. Okay, this wasn't fun, but they had gone through worse-

Oh. No. No they apparently had not. A line of bones reading 'COOL DUDE' and a bone with sunglasses on a skateboard were headed towards them, followed by the dog who stole Papyrus' bone, and...

"Look at the size of that bone!" Fiora gasped. What could only be described as a forest of bones approached the group, followed by a bone towering over everything in the immediate area. There was no way they could jump over this.

 _Just jump!_

'Your suggestion to flirt with him didn't work, there's no way we can leap over that!'

 _Just trust me! What, would you rather be captured by him?_

Shion groaned in frustration, and jumped. To her shock, she started sailing into the air high enough to clear over the bone, only to come plummeting down once she jumped over it. She grunted in pain as she hit the snow. The sounds of other people gasping, then screaming as they fell into the snow, rang through the air.

"Huff, huff...you humans are dropping like flies! I...I, the Great Papyrus, elect to grant you all pity! Here's your chance to accept your mercy!" Papyrus declared.

"We accept it, just stop throwing bones at us!" Reyn shouted, sounding muffled through the snow.

"Nyeh heh heh! Heh...ah, I failed, I couldn't capture a group of humans...Undyne is going to be furious with me, and I'm hardly going to have any friends..." Papyrus realized, drooping.

Shion slowly sat up, brushing snow off her. "Hey, uh...my offer to hang out still stands...?"

Papyrus straightened up, eyes wide. "Really? You mean it, human?"

Shion nodded, standing up slowly. "Though, uh...Papyrus, I would...rather be friends with you. I admit I tried to flirt with you to give us a moment to catch our breaths, but...I think we would be better off as friends. I'm sorry..."

"Friends...aha! So you flirted with me in an attempt to disguise your true platonic feelings!" Papyrus guessed.

"Y...Yeah. That's what happened," Shion confirmed.

"I accept your apology and your offer of friendship, human! Oh, and I grant you permission to pass through here!" Papyrus replied.

"Thank you, Papyrus, we appreciate that..." Jin thanked. "Would you be so kind as to tell us how to get to the barrier?"

"Oh, that? You'll want to head east until you reach the capital! Though, you will have to pass through the king's castle. The king of all monsters...he's, well...he's a big fuzzy pushover!" Papyrus explained. "I'm sure if you tell him you just want to go home, he'll let you through!"

"Ah...thank you," Jin replied.

"Nyeh heh heh! I will be in Snowdin if you need anything!" Papyrus said before returning to the village behind the humans. For a few minutes, Shion's party simply brushed off any snow that got on them, Sharla tending to any wounds anyone had.

"Doc," Fei spoke, looking over at Citan, "why aren't you helping anyone?"

"Ah...I don't have my medical supplies with me," Citan admitted. Several people threw annoyed looks at Citan.

"Citan, I'm only one medic!" Sharla pointed out. "I could use help whenever I have to treat anyone!"

"My apologies. I'll do my best to aid you from now on," Citan responded.

Sharla sighed heavily. "Does anyone here have any healing powers, while I'm at it? I know I should have asked, in hindsight, but I don't want to be alone in keeping you guys from dying."

Billy, Elly, Jin, MOMO, and Shion raised their hands. Sharla gave a frustrated look at them before they started helping her heal everyone up.

"Sorry," Jin apologized. "I haven't used my skills as a doctor in quite some time. I wasn't sure if I should have helped or not."

"Just...please try to help me in the future if you can. That's all I'm asking," Sharla responded.

Eventually, everyone was healed up. Sharla checked the party over before announcing, "We're all good to go. Perhaps we should spend some time with Papyrus before we leave?"

"We should," Shion agreed. "I still feel bad about the flirting attempt..."

The party re-entered Snowdin, spotting Sans talking with Papyrus. Sans glanced over at the party.

"So I heard you flirted with Papyrus," he commented.

Shion pinched the bridge of her nose. "It was just so we could try to catch our breaths. I just want to be friends with him, honest."

"Heheh. Either way, I'm glad to see Papyrus has some new pals," Sans chuckled.

"Humans, would you like to spend time with I, the Great Papyrus?" Papyrus asked.

"We'd like to. Actually, could we spend time at the library here? We would like to know about the underground," Shion replied.

"The library? Of course!" Papyrus responded, nodding enthusiastically. "I would be more than happy to teach you all about the underground!"

The party entered the library, and for the next hour or so, Papyrus went on and on about the underground, the monsters who lived in it, and some pieces of history about the monsters. A few other monsters at the library looked nervous with all the humans there, and the librarian flashed Shion a glare, but they were otherwise left in peace.

"Monsters' powers and well-being are tied to their emotions! The more positive we are, the stronger we get! However, this has the side effect of it also affecting how much damage we can take. This is referred to as HP, or Hope, and the less Hope a monster has, the less damage they can take," Papyrus explained.

"What happens if a monster loses all hope...?" Gaignun asked.

"Then it takes very little damage to defeat a monster. If a monster takes enough damage, they turn into dust, and that dust is spread on their favorite items. If I die, I want my dust to be spread on my entire room!"

Shion nodded as she listened. "Monster funerals sound interesting..."

"They are! Though...lately, a lot of monsters in the underground are losing hope. We've been trapped in the underground for a very long time, and we're experiencing a lot of problems," Papyrus admitted. "Overcrowding issues, the water levels in Waterfall dropping...and I think my brother is one of the monsters close to giving up altogether."

There was a moment of silence, Shion looking at Papyrus in surprise. Papyrus looked pained...

"Uh...don't tell him I said this, but...he's been going a lot to Grillby's lately, often staying there the entire day. The Canine Unit says he's looked very unhappy some days, and...well, I'm worried what it could mean for him if something doesn't change soon..." he admitted.

"Do you want us to try to befriend him?" Shulk asked. "We're more than happy to do that..."

"I'm not sure, to be honest. Humans, if you do run into him again, please be kind to him," Papyrus asked. "I want to see Sans happy again, I really do..."

"We will, don't worry!" MOMO assured. "You can count on us!"

Papyrus grinned. "Thank you dearly, humans! Is that all you wished to know?"

Shion nodded in response. "Thank you for telling us all that. We're going to head out now."

"Oh, before you leave...do you guys have a cellphone? I would like to keep in contact with you all while you're here!" Papyrus asked. Shion handed the cellphone to him, and he returned it after entering his number.

"Stop by Snowdin if you need anything!" Papyrus said as they started leaving town. The eastern exit of Snowdin was now clear of bones and fog, the snow beneath their feet gradually turning to slush and giving way to dark, squishy marshland.

"So up ahead is Waterfall...are we all ready to see what's up ahead?" Shulk asked.

"I think we're ready," Shion confirmed. "Let's proceed!"

The party began entering Waterfall, awaiting whatever was next...


	8. Waterfall: Shulk part 1

The snowy wonderland gave way to a dark marsh, the ground now soft, almost squishy underfoot. The air became more humid as Shulk walked into the area, the roof of the cave lower than it was in Snowdin. The river running past them carried chunks of ice away to some unknown place, and there was much less light than there was in Snowdin.

"Feels like Satorl Marsh," Fiora commented. "Though...presumably much less dangerous."

"It does, doesn't it? Feels much more peaceful so far," Shulk agreed.

The party of Homs approached a checkpoint, Sans manning the station. A ball of light was near Sans' station, and Shulk brushed past it.

 _There's a constant sound of water rushing...what a peaceful place._

"Hey. Nice to see you guys again," Sans greeted. Shulk sighed wearily.

"How are you always one step ahead of us?" he asked.

"Trade secrets," Sans replied. "You guys had fun hanging out with Papyrus, right?"

Shion nodded. "I wanted to learn a little about the monsters and the history of the underground. I think he enjoyed talking to us."

"Undyne said he had to know a lot about monsters and history before he could join the Royal Guard. A few months ago, he tried to check out every book in the library to learn as much as he could," Sans explained.

"That's...That's dedication," Dunban responded, amazed.

"Yeah. Then there was the time they first met. He stood outside her house and begged to be let in the guard. She said no and slammed the door on him since it was midnight, but he waited outside until the next day to ask her again. Undyne was so impressed with him, she decided to train him herself," Sans went on.

"Do you think he'll join the Royal Guard one day?" Melia asked.

"I know he will. Maybe after some training," Sans answered, nodding. "Anyways, I should let you guys go. Don't want to talk your ears off."

"See you later, Sans!" Shulk said before they continued on. There was a large patch of tall grass up ahead, and they could hear hurried footsteps on a cliff above them. Papyrus looked down at the Homs.

"H-Humans! You'll want to hide, Undyne is on her way!" he explained. Why did everyone insist on calling them humans? They were Homs!

Nonetheless, Shulk and the others dove into the patch of tall grass. There was a sound of armor clanking, and no one dared so much as breathe.

"Undyne! Ah..."

"Has anything happened in Snowdin?" a deep voice asked.

"W-Well, uh...there was...um..." Papyrus stammered.

"There was what?" Undyne prompted.

"A-A group of humans!" Papyrus blurted. "I-I couldn't stop them, there were too many..."

A shocked gasp followed, then Undyne asked, "How many?! How old were they?!"

"U-Uh, I think there were...23 humans? Most of them looked like adults, some looked like kids..."

" _Adult humans in the underground?!_ Have there been any casualties yet?" Undyne asked, sounding panicked.

"N-No, no, the Canine Unit is okay! Everyone in Snowdin is alive!" Papyrus reassured.

"How...How did they get into the underground? Is there a opening somewhere in Snowdin?" Undyne wondered.

"I don't know, they just came from the west..." Papyrus admitted.

Undyne grunted in anger. "Return to Snowdin and make sure no other human gets past! I'm going to make sure they don't get into Hotland!"

"Y-Yes, Undyne," Papyrus responded, and they could hear him walking away. Jr began to move, causing the grass to rustle. There was a startled clank, and everyone froze again for several moments. Eventually, Undyne seemed to leave, and everyone gave a collective sigh of relief.

"Aw man!" squealed a young voice, causing multiple people to jump. "Undyne sounds really determined to hunt you guys down!"

It was that one lizard kid from Snowdin, Shulk realized as he spotted the monster kid dashing out of the tall grass and deeper into Snowdin. The party slowly exited the tall grass, relieved Undyne was gone. Shulk saw another point of light and brushed past it.

 _There's a feeling of dread hanging over everyone now..._

"So...Undyne seems...interesting," Jin noted as they walked on.

"She looks like she could kill us if she saw us. I do not look forward to trying to pacify her," Dunban admitted.

"If you guys don't mind me changing the subject...this place feels a lot like Satorl Marsh," Fiora commented. "This place has a certain fragile feeling about it, but..."

"Satorl Marsh? I've never heard of that place before," Shion said. "What is it like?"

"It's like...okay, sometimes it's kind of dangerous, but...at night, the entire place just lights up and...you would really have to see it for yourself, it's hard to describe," Reyn admitted.

"Maybe someday, when we get home," Shion replied, nodding. The phone suddenly rang, and she answered it.

"Hello? Ah, Papyrus! Let me put you on speakerphone!"

Shion pressed a button, and Papyrus' voice came out of the phone.

"Hello, humans! Um...may I ask what you all are wearing? I-It's for a friend!" Papyrus asked.

"It...would take us a while to say what we're all wearing, Papyrus..." Shulk replied.

"I see...I'll just say you're all wearing bepises then! Have a nice day!" Papyrus decided before hanging up.

"...what's a bepis?" Emeralda asked.

"I wish I knew," Fei responded. The Homs continued into the next room, and were presented with a beautiful sight. An untold number of sparkling stones were embedded in the ceiling, blue flowers decorating the room. Shulk approached one of the flowers, and nearly jumped back when he heard a voice from it.

"A long time ago, monsters would whisper their wishes to the sky. If you hoped with all your heart, your wish would come true," an elderly voice spoke. "Now, all we have are these sparkling stones on the ceiling..."

"That flower isn't a monster, is it? Or another Flowey...?" Billy wondered.

"No, I doubt it. It doesn't have a face, for starters," Bart answered. "It just seems to be repeating itself over and over."

The room had several other blue flowers, other voices of all kinds coming out of them. All of them sounded...hopeful.

"Thousands of people wishing together can't be wrong! The king will prove that."

"C'mon, sis! Make a wish!"

"I wish my sister and I will see the real stars one day..."

"...I feel awful listening to all these flowers," MOMO admitted.

"Let's...Let's keep going. Where's this room's exit?" Shion wondered. Fiora walked over to a telescope in the room and peered into it. After a few moments, she ran over to a wall north of the telescope and slashed it open with her knives.

"Found it!" she announced, and the Homs proceeded through it. They were now on some sort of wooden platform above what seemed to be shallow water and plants, text of some sort embedded on the wall. Shion walked up to read the text.

"I can just barely make out the text...'The War of Humans and Monsters...why did the humans attack? Indeed, it seemed they had nothing to fear. Humans are unbelievably strong. It would take the soul of nearly every monster just to equal the power of a single human soul.'"

Shion paused. "...'But humans have one weakness: ironically, it is the strength of their soul. Its power allows it to persist outside the human body, even after death. If a monster defeats a human, they can take their soul. A monster with a human soul...a horrible beast with unfathomable power.'"

Humans sounded terrifying, Shulk silently concluded. Part of him wanted to learn about these humans, why they felt so threatened by monsters, what they looked like...

"So it's likely humans waged war to avoid having their souls used by monsters, then," Jin guessed. "I wonder...were any monsters in the past cruel enough to try to hurt humans to absorb their souls?"

"...as bad as it sounds, I think it's likely," Ziggy answered. "I don't know how else the monsters would have known about human souls, unless this is just an attempt to figure out why the war happened in the first place."

The party walked on, Shulk trying to put the story out of his mind. If humans were awful enough to possibly start a war with the monsters for the sole purpose of trapping them underground, what other horrors were they capable of?

A light blue spear suddenly pierced the ground before the party, and Shulk stumbled backwards.

"W-What the...!"

A figure wearing armor stepped out of the shadows, a single glowing eye peering out of the helmet.

 _That's...!_

With a wave of the being's hand, several light blue spears appeared above them.

" **Die.** "


	9. Waterfall: Shulk part 2

Spear after spear was hurled at the party of Homs, everyone scrambling to flee from Undyne as she hurled spears from a ledge.

"What the hell?!" Jr shouted. "We came here in peace, dammit!"

"Jr, just run!" Dunban shouted, just barely avoiding a spear aimed at his head. Undyne growled in frustration as she pursued the Homs, clearly hoping to gore at least one of them with a spear. Did she really believe they were humans?

A large patch of tall grass appeared ahead of them, and the party dashed into it, some of them trying to flatten themselves against the ground. Shulk felt his heart pound frantically as Undyne walked into the grass. There was a brief pause, the sound of her grabbing someone, and...then her walking away. The party slowly got up, and the monster kid from before darted out of the tall grass.

"Undyne touched me! I'm never washing my face again!" they declared, jumping from one leg to another in excitement. "Oh man, if one of you guys were just a little bit closer to her, she would have captured you!"

"...that's not very comforting to hear," Fiora responded, and the kid was off again.

"I'm really not looking forward to seeing her again," Bart commented, walking out of the tall grass. "We're not going to hurt anyone here, for crying out loud!"

"I think we can only hope she'll understand that," Fei spoke up as everyone else climbed out of the tall grass and walked on. They passed a piece of cheese in a crystal, another of those blue flowers, and another glowing point. Shulk couldn't help but touch it as he passed by it.

 _...I don't think any sort of cheese that's been in crystal is safe to eat._

The next room had Sans standing beside a telescope, and he nodded at the party as they walked in.

"I'm thinking of going into the telescope business. Normally, it costs 50,000 gold to use the telescope, but since we're pals, I'll let you guys use it for free," Sans said. "How's about it?"

"Do you mind if I take a look, Sans?" Shulk asked. Sans nodded, and stepped aside to let Shulk use the telescope. He peered into it, and-

Huh. No matter where Shulk looked, he could only see red. He pulled away from the telescope and looked up. The ceiling was full of sparkling stones, why could he only see red when...

It was then Shulk noticed several people were trying not to laugh. He looked over at the others, blinking in confusion. Bart and Jr were elbowing each other, both of them trying not to laugh out loud; Fiora and Reyn had expressions that could only be described as a mix of pity and amusement; and Riki was huffing loudly at Sans.

"Sans play prank on Shulk!" he pointed out.

"S-Shulk, you...have something around your eye..." Reyn pointed out. Shulk reached up to feel around his eye, and pulled his hand away to find wet red paint.

 _Stupid skeleton._

"If you're unsatisfied, there's always refunds," Sans offered, acting as though nothing had happened.

"You let me look at it for free!" Shulk pointed out, gesturing to the telescope.

"Exactly," Sans replied. Shulk grunted in frustration, and the party kept walking. They approached an area with bridges over bright blue lakes, particles of what Shulk assumed was Ether of some sort rising up from the water.

"You know, I wasn't sure whether to bring it up before or not, but...I wonder how much Ether is in this place. By now we would have suffered from Ether deficiency, since this place is nowhere near the Bionis..." Sharla wondered. Several people looked at Sharla as though she had just admitted to wanting to side with Undyne.

"Er...Sharla..." Jin began.

"What? Did I say something odd?" Sharla asked.

Jin hesitated, then shook his head. "Never mind."

The phone suddenly rang, and Shion answered it.

"Hello? Oh, Papyrus, one moment!"

Papyrus' voice came out of the phone again. "Hello humans! Remember when I asked you about clothes? Well, the friend who wanted to know...her opinion is very...murdery. But I bet you knew that already! And knowing that, I told her what you told me what you all are wearing! Bepises! Because I knew after being asked such a suspicious question, you all would change your clothing, yes?"

"Uh...sure?" Elly responded.

"Wonderful! So then I didn't lie to her! No betrayal anywhere! Being friends with everyone is easy!"

Papyrus then hung up, and Shion put the phone away. "Well...if only we could actually be friends with Undyne."

The Homs continued their quiet walk, Shulk looking around and marveling at the land around them. While he felt bad they scared off the monsters in the area yet again...it wasn't so bad here, the scenery was rather nice...

There was another piece of text written on a wall, and Shion read it aloud. "'The power to take their souls...this is the power that humans feared.'"

"And then they went to war with the monsters," Rico mumbled. "That's just..."

The Homs kept walking. Shulk sighed. "Humans sound worse than Mechon...! Do the monsters really believe we're like that?"

"We must look enough like humans. Or at the very least, you all do," Melia guessed. "I can't blame them, though..."

Was it just Shulk, or did some of their companions look uncomfortable at Shulk labeling the humans worse than the Mechon? Surely they knew just how bad the Mechon were, right?

The next room held a monster hiding in the corner, water falling into a chasm from above. Fiora slowly approached the monster. They looked like some sort of...fish creature? Shulk couldn't tell.

"Hello?" Fiora asked, and the monster squeaked and tried to press itself into the corner.

"D...Don't come near me...!" the monster whimpered. "I-I won't fight you, just leave me alone!"

"H-Hey, hey, it's okay! We won't hurt you!" Fiora assured. "You can trust us!"

The monster slowly turned around to face Fiora, a frown on her face. "Are you...Are you sure? Th...The other monsters...Undyne said...y-you were going to hurt us all..."

"No, no, we don't want to do that. We're just trying to get home," Fiora assured. "We won't hurt anyone, don't worry. May I ask your name?"

"...S...Shyren. My name is Shyren," the monster quietly responded. "Who are you...?"

"My name is Fiora. It's nice to meet you, Shyren!" Fiora greeted. "Do you know where the other monsters went?"

"...Undyne told everyone to evacuate towards Hotland if they could, she said there was a group of humans that got past the Royal Guards...I was too scared to move when I heard that," Shyren admitted. "The...The only ones who might still be here are the Temmies, but even then, they're hard to find..."

"So that's why...will you be okay, Shyren?" Dunban asked, slowly approaching her. Shyren flinched before she nodded.

"I...I'll be fine...I-I might go to Napstablook's house later...I'm sorry, I thought you guys would really hurt me," she apologized, lowering her head.

"It's okay. We can understand," Dunban assured. "Is there anything we can do to at least calm you down somewhat?"

Shyren hesitated. "...w...would you mind listening to me hum? I keep hearing Aaron say I'm tone-deaf, but...I-I want to prove him wrong!"

Dunban and Fiora nodded, and Shyren began to hum. It wasn't exactly the best melody Shulk had heard, but...well, it wasn't in his place to say whether it was good or not, he didn't focus on singing. A few minutes after Shyren began to hum, Fiora joined in with her humming as well. Shyren looked surprised before slowly smiling and continuing to hum.

 _This is pointless,_ a quiet, disgruntled voice in Shulk's head muttered. _We should keep going before Undyne finds us._

Part of Shulk agreed, but another part wanted to let Fiora be. This wasn't doing anyone any harm, after all. In fact, Fiora seemed to be enjoying spending time with Shyren, and it was honestly rather sweet to see.

Eventually, Shyren and Fiora stopped humming. Shyren had a big smile on her face, perhaps pleasantly surprised a Homs hummed with her. Well...human in her eyes, but still.

"Thank you, Fiora! I...I'm glad you hummed with me, it's been a while since anyone hummed with me!" Shyren said, almost bouncing with glee.

"You're welcome, Shyren! I wish I could stay, but we have to keep going. I hope we can meet again one day!" Fiora responded.

"I hope so as well! Good bye!" Shyren replied as the Homs started walking away.

"That was really sweet, Fiora," Maria said. "I think you made her day."

"I hope so, she seemed so afraid of us before," Fiora agreed.

There was more writing on the walls as the party passed by. Shion chose to read it again.

" 'This power has no counter. Indeed, a human cannot take a monster's soul. When a monster dies, its soul disappears. And an incredible power would be needed to take the soul of a living monster. There is only one exception...the soul of a special species of monster called a Boss Monster. A Boss Monster's soul is strong enough to persist after death...if only for a few moments. A human could absorb this soul...but this has never happened. And now it never will.'"

"A Boss Monster...I wonder what they look like. I'm betting something nasty," Bart guessed.

"Maybe, maybe not. Who knows?" Citan wondered.

The party walked into the next room. Water dripped down from the ceiling, almost like rain, and there was a statue of some sort of monster, horns coming out of its head. There was nothing else to do in this room, so the party walked on.

There was a basket full of umbrellas. Ziggy took one to hold over MOMO, and Gaignun took one to hold over Jr before the party kept moving.

"...I wonder...is there any way for humans and monsters to make peace? Even if all the monsters were freed...just how long has it been since the humans sealed them away?" Dunban wondered.

"Would the humans even be willing to make peace? We're talking about a race that sealed them away underground just because monsters could absorb their souls!" Reyn pointed out.

"Never mind the advantage they have over the monsters...if it hasn't been that long, the humans might be willing to hurt them like before..." Melia guessed.

No one else outside of Shulk's group spoke, reluctant looks on their faces. Did they sympathize with the humans? No, otherwise they would have tried to kill the other monsters they had encountered...

"...ah, is that..." Gaignun began as they entered another hall. A large, pale blue castle stood in the distance, anything else beside it too far away to see.

"...I think that's the king's castle," Shion guessed. "What else could it be?"

"We can't be that far from it..." Melia murmured.

Eventually, the rainy part of the cavern came to an end, and Ziggy and Gaignun placed their umbrellas in another basket that seemed to be meant for those coming out of the rain. There was more text on the wall...

"I'll read this time," Fei volunteered. "Let's see...'Hurt, beaten, and fearful for our lives, we surrendered to the humans. Seven of their greatest magicians sealed us underground with a magical spell. Anything can enter through the barrier, but only beings with a powerful soul can leave. There is only one way to reverse this spell...if a huge power, equivalent to seven human souls attacks the barrier...it will be destroyed. But this cursed place has no entrances or exits. There is no way a human could come down here...we will remained trapped down here forever.'"

"That's just awful...!" Fiora exclaimed as the party kept walking onto a wooden platform. "I never want to run into a human, they sound terrible!"

"Maybe set the Mechon on them and see how they like being tormented like that!" Reyn huffed. "They deserve some karma for that!"

The rest of the party came to a stop, looking at Shulk's friends in worry. Shulk came to a stop, looking back at the others.

"Huh? What is it?" he asked.

"Shulk...you and your friends..." Rico began.

"Aren't you guys human too?" Bart asked.

"No, we're...we're Homs," Shulk answered. "Aren't...Aren't you guys Homs?"

"No, we're not..." Shion responded, shaking her head. "What...?"

They were interrupted by spears bursting up from the floor, Undyne appearing on a platform below them.

"Gah! We have no time to talk now! Run!" Bart yelped, and the party scrambled to flee from Undyne. The spears kept popping up from the ground, and all Shulk could do was hope he wouldn't run into them.

He didn't understand, though, he thought he was traveling with a bunch of Homs and another Nopon like Riki! Humans...he was actually traveling with humans...did humans and Homs look so similar it was hard to tell them apart?

"Undyne, please, we don't want to fight you!" MOMO shouted. "We just want to be friends!"

Undyne didn't answer, simply continuing to aim her spears at the party. Was this the 'relentless murderer' Flowey mentioned in the ruins...?

Eventually, the party came to a dead end, the plank creaking ominously below them. Undyne jumped onto the ground near the group, and summoned a spear. With one quick slash, the wood fell apart, and the group began to fall into the darkness below.

"Ah! No!" Shulk cried out. He futilely reached for the edge of the platform, Undyne looking down to watch the group fall. Before long, all Shulk knew was darkness.


	10. Waterfall: Shulk part 3

Shulk found himself rummaging through a broken Mechon, sitting somewhere near Colony 9. He remembered this place, he knew where he was, he...

Shulk hesitated to reach for a piece of scrap metal. If this dream went how he thought he would...

 _Why hesitate? This dream will never change._

Right...this dream would always end the same way...

Shulk reached for the piece of scrap metal, and the ground gave out beneath him without any warning. He tried to reach for a solid piece of land, and looked up to see another him staring down at him, eyes narrowed and mouth set in a frown...

" _Pathetic._ "

* * *

Shulk slowly opened his eyes, finding himself staring up at a black void. For a moment, he thought maybe he was still dreaming, until he heard a groan of pain nearby, and the sound of rushing water. Shulk slowly rolled onto his side, blinking slowly as he realized he was lying on top of a patch of golden flowers. Everyone else was scattered about around him, slowly waking up. The patch of golden flowers he landed on did nothing to help with the smell.

"...are...are we all okay?" Jin asked, standing up. "How far down did we fall?"

"I...I don't think we fell very far. I'm not in any pain..." Shulk responded.

"You landed on a patch of flowers, the rest of us weren't nearly as lucky..." Bart grumbled.

There was a quiet few minutes as the Homs and humans split into two separate groups to make sure they were all okay. Calling their allies humans felt...weird to Shulk. They looked so much like Homs...

"...seems we're all okay," Citan noted. "Maybe a little spooked, but none worse for the wear."

"That's...good to hear," Sharla responded.

An uneasy silence fell, no one looking at each other, until Gaignun broke the silence.

"So...Homs?" he asked, looking at Shulk.

"Yes, Homs. We...We thought all of you were from the Bionis," Shulk responded.

"We've...never heard of that place before. We...We thought you guys were human," Shion admitted.

"So then...are you guys...all human?" Reyn asked, tilting his head.

"Not exactly. I'm a Realian!" MOMO answered.

"I'm a cyborg," Ziggy simply replied.

"I am an anti-Gnosis android," KOS-MOS responded.

"Let's, uh...just say I'm part-human and leave at that," Rico admitted.

"Chu-Chu is a Chu-Chu!" Chu-Chu squeaked.

"...er...I didn't understand half of what you guys said. We've never heard of Realians, or cyborgs, or androids...or Gnosis, for that matter," Melia admitted.

"Cyborgs are humans with cybernetic implants," Ziggy explained. When Shulk gave him a confused look, Ziggy clarified, "Think...machinery. Mechon, if that...applies."

"What's a Mechon, by the way?" Shion asked.

"They're from the Mechonis. They're awful monsters made entirely out of metal that have tried to wipe out the Homs. There's only two Colonies left: Colony 9 and Colony 6. If we fell...the Homs would go extinct, essentially," Sharla answered.

"What?! The situation is that bad on Bionis?" Maria asked, eyes widening.

"Unfortunately. But we have the Monado!" Shulk assured, holding up the Monado. "It's capable of cutting through the Mechon! Although..."

Shulk lowered the Monado. "...there are some Mechon it can't cut through. A Mechon with a face attacked Colony 9...the Monado only even hurt him when I thought Fiora had been killed."

"Is there anything else that the Monado can't cut through?" chaos asked, staring at the Monado. "If it's able to cut through the Mechon besides that faced one..."

"It can't cut through Homs. All other life on the Bionis is fair game to it, but for some reason, not the Homs," Dunban answered.

"I see. I wonder if the Mechon are somehow using the Homs to try to protect themselves. As grim as it sounds...given how you talked of the Mechon, it doesn't sound past them to possibly use the dead against you," chaos guessed.

"What?! There's no way! That would...they would...!" Reyn stammered.

"...the worst part is, that would make sense for them to use that tactic if they knew what the Monado's limits were. Those red lights on Metal Face...maybe that's actually..." Dunban realized.

"...will you guys be alright? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," chaos apologized, frowning.

"...we...we need a moment to process that, that's..." Fiora answered, holding a hand to her head.

"Perhaps we should find a better place to discuss this," Jin quickly suggested. "The dump doesn't seem like a good place to hang around in, all things considered."

"R-Right. Let's...Let's just keep moving," Shulk agreed, slinging the Monado over his back. Everyone fell silent as they waded through the water, Shulk's mind racing with ideas. If it was true the Mechon were using the Homs they killed to protect themselves...would that mean somewhere in any of the Mechon who had those red lights, there was...

...maybe it was best to put that at the back of his mind for now. He would have more time to worry about that later, he didn't want to think about the possibility of someone he might have known being responsible for why the Mechon couldn't be harmed by the Monado. Shulk spotted a glowing point, and touched it as he passed it by.

 _This is the place they use for dumping their garbage? Disgusting._

"Hey, look, that looks like one of the dummies from the ruins!" Jr said, running up to a dummy that seemed to be an exact replica of the one they had seen before.

"Huh. Wonder what it's doing here," Citan mumbled, glancing it over. "Maybe someone had no need for it and tossed it out?"

"Who knows? I think I see something up ahead, let's go!" Bart prompted.

The party began to move forward, only to freeze in their tracks when they heard some sort of musical sting. Suddenly, the dummy appeared before the party, now colored orange. It seemed to gain eyes, a mouth, and what seemed to be a set of teeth on its torso.

"Hahaha...too intimidated to fight me, huh?" the dummy sneered. "I am a ghost that lives inside a dummy. My cousin used to live inside a dummy, too. Until... _YOU HUMANS CAME ALONG!_ When you talked to them, they thought they were in for a nice chat...but the things you SAID...! Horrible. Shocking! **UNBELIEVABLE!** It spooked them right out of their dummy! HUMANS! I'll scare your souls right out of your body!"

"W-What!? We just said hello to the dummy!" MOMO protested. "That's all!"

"Lies! LIES!" the mad dummy yelled. Suddenly, parts of the wall opened up to reveal miniature dummies sticking their heads out shortly before firing balls of what Shulk could only describe as magic. The party immediately split up, trying to avoid the attack as well as they could. Fiora hit the ground just before the balls of magic could hit her, and they sailed over her and towards the Dummy.

"OWWWW, you _DUMMIES!_ Watch where you're aiming your magic attacks!" they snapped, jostling around angrily before glaring at the humans. "...hey! You humans! Forget I said anything about magic!"

"Okay, so we gotta get the magic to hit them...that's easier said than done at this rate, honestly," Reyn grumbled as Fiora picked herself up the ground.

"We might as well try it, we're not getting past them otherwise!" Bart pointed out.

The dummies attacked again, this time some popping up from the floor and ceiling. People yelped and cried out as they tried to duck past the balls of magic fired at them, several people hitting the ground near the Mad Dummy. They shrieked as they were hit with the other dummies' magic.

"I'll defeat you all and take your souls!" the dummy shouted. "I'll use your souls to cross the barrier! I'll stand in the window of a fancy store! _Then everything I want will be mine!_ "

"What about your cousin?" Dunban questioned, diving behind a pile of garbage to avoid an attack. The attack sailed over the pile of trash and hit the water with a loud splash.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess then I'll avenge my cousin. What was their name again...?" the dummy wondered, narrowing its eyes in thought, only for them to widen again when Fei dove to the ground in front of them and let them take the brunt of a few magical attacks.

"Whatever. Whatever! WHATEVER!" the dummy shouted, fuming. "Your attacks are futile! FUTILE! _**FUTILE!**_ "

"You know, I think we've got them...'hopping mad'," Shion joked, shortly before a cluster of dummies appeared close to her. She seemed to instantly regret making the pun, yelling as she fled from the surprise attack.

"Pitiful. Pitiful! **PITIFUL!** " the dummy screamed, shortly before another round of magical attacks were re-directed towards them. "Ohhh, that's it! Dummies! DUMMIES!"

The army of dummies popped up around them. "Remember how I said not to shoot at me? Well...FAILURES! YOU'RE ALL FIRED!"

The dummies looked heartbroken as they disappeared back into the holes they popped out of, leaving the dummy by themselves.

"That's no way to treat your subordinates!" Jin pointed out, frowning heavily.

"Hahaha! HAHAHA! Now you'll all see my true power... _relying on people that aren't garbage!_ " the dummy responded, sneering. "Dummy bots! MAGIC MISSILE!"

This time, robot dummies popped out of the holes in the dump just before they launched missiles at the party. Shulk honestly wanted to question why they were now being attacked by missiles, but he had no time at the moment. He ran as fast as he could from the missiles, circling around the dummy and letting them hit them instead.

"Not again...! Dummy bots! TRY AGAIN!" the dummy shouted. Once again, dummy bots popped out of several spots all over the dump, and there was a moment of chaos with everyone trying to evade the missiles. The dummy cackled, until they were once again hit by the missiles, this time courtesy of Gaignun.

"Oh for...Dummy bots! You're awful?" the dummy reprimanded, angrily hopping around. The dummy bots struck again, and this time the missiles blew up piles of garbage if they failed to hit their targets. The smell of a clothing store, burning garbage, and smoke was starting to mix in the air, and Shulk started gagging. Okay, this was quickly becoming a bad place to fight.

Jr dashed forward as the missiles tried to hit him, then quickly ducked to the ground in front of the Mad Dummy. The dummy screeched as they were hit again.

"Nggggh! _Dummy bots! **FINAL ATTACK!**_ " they shouted. All manner of dummy bots and the previous dummies started popping out every which way of the floor, the walls, the ceiling...missiles and magic soared through the air, people yelping and crying out as they did their best to avoid the attacks. It took Fei guiding the magic and missiles being flung at him towards the Mad Dummy to get the attack to stop.

"D...Did we do it?" Dunban wondered. Shulk's eyes started glowing blue as he suddenly got a vision-

 _-knife flung straight where Fei had dived onto the ground, striking him in the back-_

"Fei! Watch out!" Shulk shouted.

"Wha...!?" Fei gasped, looking up and quickly rolling out of the dummy flinging a knife at him. The dummy froze.

"I'm...all out of knives. _BUT IT DOESN'T MATTER!_ YOU CAN'T HURT ME AND I CAN'T HURT YOU! YOU'LL BE STUCK FIGHTING ME...forever. Forever! _**FOREVER!**_ "

The dummy started cackling, until Shulk spotted a familiar shape hovering above the Mad Dummy, tears falling out of their eyes. The Mad Dummy shrieked in pain as the tears hit them.

"Wh...What the heck is this?! Acid rain!? Bah..I'm out of here!" they snapped. The Mad Dummy tired of everyone's aimless shenanigans and floated away. Napstablook appeared before the party.

"Oh no...did I make your new friend go away? Oh no...you guys looked like you were having fun...oh no..." Napstablook asked as they disappeared..

The dump was...even more dumpy than it was before now. Garbage had been exploded and tossed everywhere, and the stench was even worse than it was before. Shulk wrinkled his nose.

"Okay...we should probably get out of here. This place smells absolutely awful now," he commented. The party shuffled out of the dump and back onto dry land. A glowing point hovered in front of a small lake, which lied in front of a house shaped like a fish, a pair of houses with only one having the lights on, and what seemed to be a stable of some sort. Shulk touched the glowing point-

 _This place is tranquil...it's a breath of fresh air after the chaos of that last fight._

"Wonder where that dummy went...that thing put up a tough fight," Jr commented.

"I'll say. At least hopefully they're out of our hair now," Rico agreed. The party headed east, walking into a rather dark field filled with bright, pale grass. Mushrooms and crystals dotted the field here and there, and small particles of what Shulk now assumed was magic drifted lazily upwards from the ground.

"We can't be far now...it feels like we're close to the end of Waterfall," Ziggy guessed.

"I agree. I almost don't want to leave this place, it feels so much like the Satorl Marsh..." Fiora admitted. "But...we shouldn't lag like this, we need to get out of here and get home..."

"...even if we do get out of here...where in any of our worlds would this be?" Fei wondered. "It's obvious this place isn't at this Bionis, and I've never heard of a war between humans and monsters where I come from..."

"Well, it could be on another planet," Shion suggested. "Granted, that leaves the question of which planet it is, but..."

"Planet?" Shulk and Fei repeated, blinking curiously at Shion.

"...er...okay, so assume there's other worlds beyond your own," Shion began. "Some are similar to yours, some are not. That's sort of what planets are."

"Other worlds? I...I see..." Shulk responded.

"We were heading back to Second Miltia when we were transported here. I wonder, though...KOS-MOS, are we too far underground to tell where we are?" Shion asked.

"Negative. However...I cannot access the UMN Network at this time, Shion. It's possible this place is out of the UMN Network's reach," KOS-MOS answered.

"UMN Network...?" Fiora asked.

"How should I explain this...it's a network of sorts, it's...not exactly easy to explain," Shion admitted.

"Let's just say it helps us determine where we are and leave it at that. We don't have a ton of time to explain what it is," Jr pointed out.

"If we're out of reach...I wonder..." chaos murmured. "Could we be..."

"We couldn't...Lost Jerusalem?" Shion wondered.

"Lost Jerusalem? Where's...Where's that?" Melia asked.

"No one knows, actually, but...4,000 years ago, humanity had to flee from Lost Jerusalem. We spread out among the stars, and over time...no one knew where it was anymore. People have been trying to find it, and if we...if we happen to have ended up on it somehow..." chaos answered. The party slowed to a halt, Shion's friends looking around them.

"...if we really are on Lost Jerusalem...why? Why us, of all people?" Gaignun wondered.

"...part of me doesn't want to believe that. There's just a period of nothingness from when we were on the Elsa and waking up in the ruins, how..." Ziggy admitted.

"But if we did...what would we find here?" MOMO asked aloud. "Wow..."

Shulk had no idea what to say. This wasn't really something for the Homs to get involved in, and yet...Lost Jerusalem sounded fascinating. Why did the humans flee from this Lost Jerusalem? Was this really that place, then...? Fei's group seemed equally interested as Shulk felt, a curious glint in Citan's eyes at the mention of a lost planet.

"...will you all be alright?" Dunban asked, approaching Jin. "Do we need to take a moment to stop?"

"Ah...no, we...we'll be okay, I think we're just...overwhelmed at the idea of being on Lost Jerusalem, potentially. It's hard to explain," Jin answered. "This is possibly where humanity was born..."

"Sorry," Gaignun apologized, returning his attention to the rest of the party. "We'll keep moving, we didn't mean to stop like that."

"It's quite alright," Citan answered. "It sounds like you have a lot to ponder over here..."

The group fell silent as they continued through the field, the light slowly disappearing. It was getting harder and harder to see...

"Geez, why is it getting so dark all of a sudden?" Reyn wondered, squinting. "I can hardly see a thing!"

Shulk nodded, shortly before bumping into a familiar blue flower. He bent down to listen to it.

"Behind you," Undyne's voice whispered. Suddenly, the area brightened, and everyone turned around sharply to see Undyne approaching them, spear in hand.

"...seven. Seven human souls. That's all we need to destroy the barrier," she began. "Six. We have six human souls so far..."

She aimed her spear at Shulk before starting to charge forward-

"Don't worry, Undyne!" the monster kid from earlier shouted, bursting out of a patch of tall grass right between Undyne and Shulk. "I'll help you!"

Undyne halted in her tracks, dispelling the spear in her hands. She looked down at the kid before dragging them away.

"Wha-What?! Aw, come on, Undyne!" the kid whined. Shulk sighed in relief, shoulders sagging.

"...we just barely dodged a bullet there. Or...spear in Undyne's case," he weakly joked.

The group kept moving, going down a northern hall and wading into water. Several blue flowers sprouted out of the ground, lining the path. Small, glowing golden lights filled the air.

"So? Don't you have any wishes to make?" one flower echoed.

"...hmmm, just one, but...it's kind of stupid," another responded.

"Don't say that! Come on, I promise I won't laugh."

"... hmmm...if I say my wish...you promise you won't laugh at me?"

"Of course I won't laugh!"

"Someday, I'd like to climb this mountain we're all buried under. Standing under the sky, looking at the world all around...that's my wish."

A burst of laughter proceeded that same person speaking.

"...hey, you said you wouldn't laugh at it!"

"Sorry, it's just funny...that's my wish, too."

"...I wonder who those people are. They sounded close..." Dunban wondered.

"Definitely not Undyne," Reyn responded. "Though...probably a couple or something like that."

There was one more flower near the end of the room. Shulk neared it, wondering what this flower had to say.

"Where, oh where, could my children be?" Toriel's voice lamented. "I've been looking all over for them..."

Shulk felt his heart stop, wincing as he remembered Toriel. How...?

"...hee hee hee," Flowey's voice suddenly spoke. "That's not true. She'll find another kid, and instantly forget about you. You'll NEVER see her again."

Bart and Jr scowled, glaring at the flower. "What the hell?! Is Flowey trying to mess with us?"

"Pay it no mind," Citan suggested. "We've got better things to do than to mess with him."

There was one more piece of writing etched in the wall. Shulk approached it and read it aloud.

"Let's see...'There is, however, a prophecy. The Angel...the one who has seen the surface...they will return. And the underground will go empty.'"

"I wonder...does that angel intend to destroy the barrier? Or simply kill them all?" chaos murmured.

The water ended a few steps later, and the party was proceeding on a bridge to the east when they heard footsteps behind them. It was the monster kid.

"Huff, huff...yo...so Undyne said to stay away from you guys, but...I...I want to fight you guys! I wanna help Undyne!" the kid declared, prepared to tackle the humans.

"H-Hey! Easy, kid, we don't want to fight you!" Bart pointed out.

"C-Come on! Make me...Make me want to fight you guys!" the kid squeaked. When everyone shook their heads, they sighed.

"If you don't want to fight me...I...I don't know, I guess I'll go home..." the kid mumbled, turning around. They lost their step, and teetered on the edge of the bridge.

"Ah...!"

Several people rushed forward, Shulk grabbing the monster kid just before they fell off the bridge.

"Are you okay?" Shulk asked, gently setting the kid back on the bridge.

"Y-Yeah! I'm okay!" the kid responded. "Thank you for saving me!"

There was a clank, and Shulk looked up to see Undyne. How long had she been there?

"...you might want to get this child back to safety," Gaignun informed. "This place isn't safe for them."

The kid slowly walked toward Undyne, looking up at her. "Undyne...?"

Undyne simply led the kid away from the humans, armor clanking as she walked away. The kid looked behind them for a few moments before following after her.

The bridge came to a stop just before a large cavern. Somehow...Undyne had teleported to the top of the cavern, looking down at the humans and Homs. In the background, the party could see several large pieces of...machinery, maybe? The sky was tinted red behind Undyne.

"...seven. Seven human souls, and King Asgore will become a god," Undyne began. "Six. That's how many we have collected thus far. Understand? If one of you were to die...this world would be transformed. First, however, as customary for those who make it this far, let me tell you the tragic tale of our people. It all started long ago..."

Undyne paused, then balled her hand up into a fist.

"No, you know what? SCREW IT! **WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU THAT STORY WHEN YOU'RE ALL ABOUT TO DIE?!** " she shouted. "NGAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

She tore off her helmet, revealing her blue skin, fins, and red hair. An eye patch covered one eye, and the other was bright yellow.

"You all...you're standing in the way of everyone's hopes and dreams! Alphys' history books made me think humans were cool with their giant robots and flowery swordswomen, but _you?_ "

Undyne scoffed. "You're just cowards! Hiding behind that kid so you could run away again!"

"H-Hey!" MOMO protested. "We didn't hide behind them! We wanted to help them!"

"Oh, and let's not forget your wimpy goody-two-shoes-shticks!" Undyne spat. "Oooh! I'm making such a difference by hugging random strangers! You know what would be more valuable to everyone? IF ALL OF YOU WERE DEAD! That's right, humans! Your continued existences are crimes! Your lives are all that stands between us and our freedom!"

"Undyne, come on, we don't want to fight..." Ziggy sighed, shaking his head.

"Right now, I can feel everyone's hearts pounding together! Everyone's been waiting their whole lives for this moment! But we're not nervous at all. When everyone puts their hearts together, they can't lose! Now, humans! Let's end this, right here, right now. I'll show you how determined monsters can be! Step forward when you're ready! Fuhuhuhu!" Undyne laughed.

A glowing point appeared beside Shulk, and he chose to touch it. He had a bad feeling about how this fight would go...

 _The wind is howling...stay determined._


	11. Waterfall: Shulk part 4

The party stepped forward, Shulk resisting the urge to draw his Monado. No one there wanted to hurt Undyne, they just wanted to get past her…

She leaped down from the top of the cavern, spear appearing in her hand. "En guarde!" she shouted before charging forward at Shulk. He yelped and drew his Monado, holding it out in front of him to block her attack.

"Come on, Undyne, we just want to be friends!" Shulk pointed out, hoping something would get through to Undyne. She grunted and spun around, dashing for Dunban next. He drew his sword, raising it to block Undyne's attack. The two clashed weapons for a few moments, Dunban starting to slide backwards from attempting to block against Undyne's spear. Undyne started to grow frustrated, eventually leaping back from her position.

"Not bad! But can any of you handle _this?_ "

She formed a larger spear in her hand, and tossed into the sky. Within moments, it was suddenly raining miniature blue spears, and everyone scrambled to block or evade the deadly rain.

"For years, we've dreamed of a happy ending!" Undyne bellowed, staring coldly at the party. "And now, sunlight is just within our reach! I won't let **any** of you snatch it from us!"

"We don't want to take that happy ending away! Just listen to us, will you?!" Reyn shouted, raising his gunlance up to block a few spears falling down on him.

"NGAHHH! Enough warming up!" Undyne growled. The spear rain ended, and she aimed to strike at Ziggy next. He grabbed her spear and flipped her over his shoulder, Undyne landing with a loud 'oof!'

"Let's hurry, she won't be dazed for long!" Ziggy urged. The party started running, fleeing into the cavern. They only got as far as what felt like the middle of the cavern before a row of blue spears blocked their path, Undyne running into the cavern as fast as her armor would let her.

"No human has ever made it past Asgore! Honestly, killing you now would be an act of mercy!" she yelled, creating another spear in her hands. This time, Jin stepped forward to block the blow, shaking his head at Undyne's expression.

"Undyne, we're not aiming to hurt anyone here, we don't want to take away your chance at freedom…!"

"Then answer me this, human: why are you all armed?! The last time monsters went near armed humans, we were sealed underground!" Undyne reminded. She drew her spear back and stepped backwards, teeth bared in a snarl.

"That's…we don't have good answers for that, but I assure you, we're not here to fight!" Jin weakly answered before he clashed with Undyne again.

"Nggghh…stop being so damn resilient! What are you humans made out of?!" Undyne wondered. She tossed another large spear into the sky, and it started raining smaller spears again. Shulk really didn't want to have to start using Monado Arts down here, but…

"Monado Shield!" Shulk shouted. The light in the Monado's center started glowing yellow, and a large yellow force field covered the party. Undyne stared in shock as the force field blocked the spears raining down on the party, her eye widening.

"What the…magic?! How did you…?!" she gasped.

"I'm sorry, Undyne, but we're not going to die today!" Shulk apologized as Monado Shield's effect wore off.

"Alphys told me humans were determined, but guess what?! I'm determined too! _I'm determined to end this right now!_ " Undyne declared. She tried to attack Rico this time, but just like Ziggy, he flipped Undyne over his shoulder. Shulk heard a heavy thump as she hit the ground this time, and he couldn't help but wince.

"She's alright, don't worry!" Rico assured. "She'll be dazed, but not for long! Come on!"

The party dashed through the cave again. Undyne quickly started running after them, gritting her teeth.

"No, get back here!" she yelled. The party passed by a sign that read "WELCOME TO HOTLAND!" just as the phone started ringing. Surprisingly, Undyne came to a halt as Shion answered the phone.

"H-Hello?! We're a little busy at the moment!" she informed.

"Human! Hello!" Papyrus responded, joyfully. "You know, I was thinking…I think you humans and Undyne would make great pals!"

Shion stared at the phone, then at Undyne, who seemed to have heard Papyrus. She shrugged, just as baffled as Shulk currently felt.

"Uh…Papyrus…" Shion began.

"I'll be waiting outside her home if you want me to help you hang out with her!" Papyrus responded before hanging up. The party and Undyne stared at the phone for several moments, no one quite sure how to respond to Papyrus believing they would be friends.

"…well, uh…" Dunban began.

"…hey! Humans! You've escaped from me for the last time!" Undyne shouted, and the chase resumed. The stretch of the cavern felt like it was never going to end, that he was going to tire out and Undyne would take his soul…

The cavern suddenly ended, and Shulk found himself in a room with some sort of red liquid covering the ground below them, a tall rock keeping them above the liquid. Sans had a station near a bridge, snow somehow covering the roof of his station. Sans was fast asleep…

The party ran over the bridge, and Undyne stopped for a moment to try to get Sans to wake up. "Wake _up,_ you lazybones!" she shouted.

Was it Shulk, or was the area starting to get very warm? He had barely just made it over the bridge when he had to stop to pant, exhausted. He heard the clanging of armor behind him, and he froze. Fiora quickly grabbed him and yanked Shulk away from the bridge just as Undyne shakily stepped forward. It seemed Undyne was feeling the heat as well, and eventually just collapsed on the bridge, unconscious.

"I-Is Undyne okay?" MOMO wondered, gingerly approaching her. Undyne didn't move, and Shulk felt bad; was that red liquid some sort of weakness for her?

"Ah…!"

Shion approached some sort of…thing holding a jug of water and several cups beside it, and got water from it. She hurried up to Undyne and…poured the water on her.

"…do you think that'll help her?" Dunban asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm not sure how else to help her, it's worth a shot…" Shion admitted. Undyne grunted and slowly opened her eye, pushing herself up. Jin and Sharla stepped forward.

"Easy, Undyne, you passed out from the heat…do you need any help?" Jin asked. Undyne stared at the humans and Homs, disbelief in her eyes, before slowly turning around and walking away, presumably back to Waterfall.

"…you know, it might be a bad idea, but…maybe we should try to befriend her?" Fei suggested. "I know she tried to kill us and all, but I'd feel bad if we didn't try to be friends with her."

"We should be trying to get out of here, we don't know who else might be after us at this point…" Shulk pointed out.

"I know, I know, but…Papyrus sounded like he really did think we could be friends…" Fei admitted. Shulk sighed. He really wanted to get out of here as soon as he could, Bionis could be in danger, but…

"…very well. It's worth a shot," Shulk decided. The party began heading back into Waterfall.

* * *

Papyrus was waiting for the party near the lake beside the dump, waving them down as they approached.

"Ah! Humans, hello! I'm glad to see you're all in good health!" he greeted.

"Please tell me that's not your idea of a joke, Papyrus, we just got out of fighting Undyne…" Bart pointed out.

"So that's where you all were! I wondered why Undyne seemed annoyed about something…I assume you're all here to make friends with her?" Papyrus asked.

Jr nodded. "She won't try to kill us while we're trying to befriend her, right…?"

"Don't worry, small human! She believes she's going to train me, but I'm going to surprise her!" Papyrus assured, brightly.

"…she's going to kill us," Rico muttered as Papyrus led them to Undyne's house. It was the fish-shaped house they saw coming out of the dump, with a familiar training dummy in front of it. Jr couldn't help but approach it.

"…what?" the dummy grumbled. "I have to make a living somehow!"

"I guess you're done being a dummy, then?" Jr cracked, grinning. The dummy glared at Jr, and they loudly huffed at him. Jr looked pleased with himself as he rejoined the party, though Gaignun slowly shook his head.

"Now then, don't worry! I have a gift I can offer to her in your places! She loves these!" Papyrus assured, holding up a bone with a red ribbon tied around it. He placed it back in his pocket before knocking on the door.

"One second!" Undyne's voice called from the house before she opened the door. She had gotten out of her armor, and she was surprisingly lanky and thin. "Papyrus! Nice to see…you…"

She stared at the party behind Papyrus' back, eye narrowing. Shulk gulped, looking away from Undyne as much as he could.

"…why don't. You all. Come in?" Undyne asked through gritted teeth, and Shulk was sure her eye was trained on him. He would have a lot of questions to answer, he figured…

Papyrus happily led the group inside. There was a piano near a window, a table with a few chairs, a giant sword set off to the side, and a small kitchen near the northern section of the house. Another door, presumably leading to a bedroom, was just to the left of the kitchen. It was a rather well-kept house, Shulk had to admit.

"Undyne, on behalf of the humans, I present you with a gift!" Papyrus declared, taking the bone with the ribbon on it and handing it to Undyne.

"Uh…thanks, Papyrus, I'll just put these with the others," Undyne responded, taking the bone and placing it in a drawer that Shulk could see was filled with many bones all identical to each other.

"Ah! My apologies, Undyne, I have to use the bathroom!" Papyrus apologized before running towards the window and leaping through it, glass shattering behind him. For a good few minutes, everyone stared at the broken window.

"…funny, Papyrus usually nails the landing," Undyne said, sounding surprised before turning her attention to the group, hands on her hips.

"Are you alright?" Jin asked. "You collapsed in a room full of lava, that couldn't have been healthy…"

"I'm just fine, _human,_ " Undyne responded, spitting out 'human' as though it were a curse word. "Why are you humans here? Just to rub it in my face I had to retreat?"

"Running away is a valid tactic, though," Melia pointed out. "No one could blame you for fleeing when your life was in danger."

"Still…oh wait, let me guess! You're here because you want to be friends with me!" Undyne guessed. When Shulk and Fei nodded, she snorted. "Oh sure! Let's frolic in the fields of friendship… **not!** If you humans weren't guests in my house, I would have beaten all of you up here and now! You're the enemy of everybody's hopes and dreams!"

"B-But, Undyne…" Shulk began, meekly.

"I will _**never**_ be your friend! Now get out of my house!" Undyne ordered.

Papyrus stuck his head out from the window. "Ah, what a shame! And here I thought Undyne would be up to the challenge of befriending the humans! I guess I overestimated her!"

"Challenge?! What?" Undyne said as Papyrus ran away from the window. "Does he really think that I can't befriend a bunch of wimpy humans like you people?!"

"Well, uh…apparently he thinks so?" MOMO answered.

"Ohhh, he's _on!_ We're not just going to be friends, we're going to be **besties!** " Undyne declared. "All of us!"

"O…Okay?" Shulk responded, confused.

"Now, first things first, have a seat!" Undyne barked out, and the group crowded around the table as well as they could.

 _You know, this might be a bad idea,_ an annoyed voice mumbled in Shulk's head as Undyne started gathering stuff from the kitchen, but he dismissed what it was saying. They were here, they might as well try to befriend her.

"Now, what do you want to drink?" Undyne asked. On the counter was a silvery container, a small green container, a little stack of small boxes, and a bottle filled with some yellow liquid.

"Ah, I'll take–"

Shulk froze in place as a light blue spear suddenly pierced the table, nearly everyone almost drawing their weapons. Undyne paused, then scratched behind her head sheepishly.

"Er…sorry about that. Maybe you should just use the spear to point at what you want?" she suggested.

"H…How about what's in those boxes?" Shulk asked, pointing at the boxes with the spear.

"Tea! Good choice!" Undyne responded as she grabbed the boxes and started making tea. Shulk set the spear down, looking at it nervously.

"It'll take a moment for the water to boil," Undyne informed. Everyone just kept quiet for a few moments, until it seemed the water was ready. Undyne set down a mug full of tea in front of Shulk.

"There you go! Careful, it's hot," Undyne warned. When Shulk hesitated to drink from the mug, she sighed. "It's not _that_ hot! Just drink it already!"

Shulk gingerly picked up the mug and sipped from it. He nearly spat out the tea from how hot it was, but managed to keep the drink down through sheer determination. It was pretty good otherwise, at least.

"It's pretty good, right? Nothing but the best for my absolutely precious friend!" Undyne asked, a big grin on her face. Shulk nodded, being careful as he sipped the tea.

A few moments passed, before Undyne coughed. "Hey…it's kind of strange you chose that kind of tea. Golden flower tea…"

Shulk nearly spat the entire drink then and there. _Golden flower tea?!_

"That's Asgore's favorite kind. Actually, now that I think about it, a few of you kind of remind me of him," Undyne admitted. She snickered, "Some of you are total weenies!"

 _Well, isn't she just pleasant to hang around._

"…sort of," Undyne added, gripping her arm. Shulk felt embarrassed, did he scowl or something? "…y'know, I was a pretty hotheaded kid. Once, to prove I was the strongest, I tried to fight Asgore."

Undyne chuckled. "Emphasis on _tried._ I couldn't land a single blow on him. And worse, the whole time, he refused to fight back! I was so humiliated…"

"Hey, I'm sure you tried your best," Shulk pointed out. "He…does sound like a tough opponent."

Undyne nodded in agreement. "Afterwards, he apologized and said something goofy…'Excuse me, do you want to know how to beat me?' I said yes, and from then on, he trained me. One day, during practice, I finally knocked him down. I felt…bad, but he was beaming…"

It didn't surprise Shulk that Asgore had trained her, but…the spears raining down on him seemed awfully familiar.

"I had never seen someone more proud to get their butt kicked! Anyway, long story short, he kept training me, and now I'm the head of the Royal Guard!" Undyne went on. "So I'm the one who gets to train dorks to fight! Like…uh, Papyrus."

She hesitated, eye darting away from the party. "But…to be honest, I don't know if I can ever let Papyrus into the Royal Guard."

Shulk stopped sipping his tea for a moment, raising his eyebrows. But Papyrus was plenty strong enough…!

"Don't tell him I said that, any of you!" Undyne said, returning her gaze to the humans and Homs before her. "He's just…well…he's not weak, he's really freaking tough! It's just that he's…he's too innocent and nice! I mean, look, he was supposed to at least try to stop you guys, but he ended up being friends with you! I could never send him into battle, he'd get turned into a smiling pile of dust…"

"So what do you do with him, then?" Gaignun asked, curious.

"I started teaching him how to cook," Undyne answered. "Mostly so he could do something else with his life, hopefully…"

Shulk was about to take another sip of his tea when he realized the mug was empty. Undyne noticed as well. "Oh, sorry, I was talking for so long, you're out of tea! I'll get you some more!"

She got up and took a few steps towards the kitchen when she came to a halt. "…wait a second."

"Huh? Undyne?" Elly asked.

"…Papyrus…his cooking lesson… _he was supposed to have that right now!_ " Undyne realized. "And if he's not here to have it… _you humans will have to have it for him!_ "

Shulk felt tempted to try to correct Undyne that a portion of the party wasn't human, but it didn't seem worth it. Undyne leaped onto the counter in the kitchen, hands balled up into fists. "That's right! **NOTHING** has brought Papyrus and I closer than cooking! Which means if I give you his lesson… _we'll become closer than you can ever imagine!_ "

"E-Er…Undyne…" Fiora began.

"Fuhuhuhu! Afraid?! We're going to be _best_ friends!" Undyne declared. She leaped down from the counter and dragged Shulk to the kitchen, the rest of the party following after them. Shulk was not sure how to react to this in the slightest.

"Let's start with the sauce!" Undyne decided. She slammed her foot on the floor, and a few vegetables somehow fell from the ceiling. "Envision these vegetables as your greatest enemy!"

Shulk didn't need much prompting with that. He drew the Monado and brought it down on one of the vegetables, splattering it everywhere. Undyne looked overjoyed.

"Yeah! YEAH! Our hearts are uniting against these healthy ingredients! Now watch this!"

She smashed one of the vegetables with a fist, turning it into little more than a paste on the counter, the wall, and Shulk's face.

"…we'll just scrape that into a bowl later," Undyne decided. "But for now…!"

She slammed her foot on the ground again, and a pot and a box of noodles fell onto a stove. "Now we put in the noodles! Home-made noodles are the best, _but I just buy store-brand! THEY'RE THE CHEAPEST!_ Uhh…just put them in the pot!"

Undyne seemed so fired up, Shulk couldn't help but fiercely slam the box of noodles into the pot. The noodles and the box clanked at the bottom of the pot.

 _…what are you even doing._

"Yeah! YEAH! I'm into it!" Undyne shouted, eye lighting up. "Alright! Now it's time to stir the pasta! As a general rule of thumb, the more you stir, **the better it is!** Let's do it!"

"What about the water…?" Shion asked, but Shulk was already stirring the pasta and the box as fast as he could, Undyne egging him on.

 _…seriously, what are you even doing._

"Ugh, let me do it!" Undyne said after a few minutes of Shulk furiously stirring the pasta. She summoned a spear and started striking the pot with it as hard as she could. "Fuhuhuhu! That's the stuff! Now, for the final step… _turn up the heat!_ Let the stove-top symbolize your passion! Let your hopes and dreams turn into burning fire! Don't hold anything back!"

Shulk started turning a knob to turn up the heat, and the rest of the party slowly backed away from him and Undyne.

"Hotter! HOTTER! _**HOTTER, DARN IT!**_ " Undyne cheered. The pot had caught on fire by now, and was turning into a roaring flame. Undyne seemed to realize Shulk had turned the knob too far just as he did.

"Wait, that's too…!"

There was a bright flash, and Shulk quickly grabbed the Monado. "Monado Shield!"

The party and Undyne were covered by the force field just as the house caught on fire. Shulk blinked as he looked around him. "…ah…! Your house, Undyne…!"

"…ah…man, no wonder Papyrus sucks at cooking," Undyne responded, not looking fazed by the fire. Melia looked horrified, quickly hurrying to try to put out the fire with her ice ether.

"Are you okay, Undyne…?" Shulk asked, realizing he had gotten so caught up in cooking he had set the house on fire.

"Ah, I'll be alright. So, what's next? Scrap-booking? Friendship bracelets?" Undyne asked, shortly before her grin dropped. "…oh, who am I kidding? I really screwed this up, didn't I? I can't force you humans to like me…some people just don't get along with each other."

"Undyne, no…" Fei began.

"I understand if you feel that way about me," Undyne assured. "And if we can't be friends…that's okay. Because if we're not friends… _it means I can destroy you without regret!_ "

"Wha…"

Undyne created another spear in her hands. "I've been defeated, my house is in shambles, I even failed to befriend you…that's it! I don't care if you're my guest anymore! One final rematch, all out on both sides! **IT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN REGAIN MY LOST PRIDE!** COME ON, _HIT ME WITH ALL YOU'VE GOT!_ "

 _She's letting you make the first move._

Shulk drew his Monado, gathering all of his strength…

"Shulk, what are you doing?" Dunban asked, sounding very concerned.

"Just trust me, Dunban!" Shulk answered before dashing forward and…gently tapping Undyne on the shoulder with the Monado. Undyne stared at Shulk, then at the Monado as he slung it over his back.

"…what. That's the best you can manage?" she asked. "Even attacking at full force…you just can't muster any intent to hurt me, huh?"

Shulk shook his head. "I don't want to hurt you, really."

Undyne paused, then gave a little smile. "Heh, you know what?"

She dropped her spear, letting it disperse into the air. "I don't really want to hurt you either. At first, I hated how saccharine you humans were, but…the way you hit me right now, it…reminded me of someone I used to train with. Now I know you're not just some wimpy losers…you're wimpy losers with big hearts! Just like him…"

"Er…thank you?" Shulk responded, weakly.

"…listen, humans. It seems you and Asgore are fated to fight. But knowing him…he probably doesn't want to. Talk to him, I'm sure you can persuade him to let you all go home. Eventually, some mean human will fall down here, and I'll just take their soul instead!"

Undyne grinned. "That makes sense, right? Fuhuhu…oh, and if you do hurt Asgore…I'll take the human souls, cross the barrier, and beat the _hell_ out of you! That's what friends are for, right?"

"G-Got it, we got it, chu!" Chu-Chu responded. Melia had managed to extinguish the fire, though she seemed a bit spent at using so much ice ether. The house was slightly charred, unfortunately.

"I…I apologize, Undyne, I did what I could," Melia apologized.

"Eh, it's alright! I'll just hang out at Papyrus' house for a while!" Undyne assured. "If any of you need me, feel free to drop by Snowdin, alright? Oh, and if you ever need help, just give Papyrus a ring! Well, see you later, punks!"

Undyne dashed away, and the group exited the house. The dummy's eyes were wide, and they tried to shuffle away from the group as they passed by.

"…Shulk, that's the second time today you've used that Monado to shield us. What was that?" Billy asked as they made their way back to what Shulk assumed was Hotland.

"I didn't really tell you guys about the Monado Arts, did I? It's…hard to explain, other than that it lets me use certain powers at times. Monado Shield cancels out an enemy's attack…or a kitchen exploding, it seems," Shulk explained.

"Does it have other powers like that?" Jr asked, glancing at the sword in wonder.

"Well, it does, but hopefully I won't have to use them while we're here," Shulk answered, nodding.

"So…up next is Hotland, then," Gaignun realized. "How close are we to the barrier…?"

"Hopefully not far now. Papyrus told us to keep heading east, right?" Citan said.

"East, yeah…" Shulk mumbled. The entrance to Hotland soon came within sight. Sans' station was empty, surprisingly, and a large building loomed in the distance.

"…alright, are we ready to go into Hotland?" Gaignun asked.

"Seems so! We're almost there, I can feel it…" Shion admitted.

The party walked on into Hotland, prepared to face their next challenge.


	12. Hotland: Gaignun part 1

Gaignun couldn't help but admit he felt uncomfortable in Hotland. No one was really dressed properly for a cavern filled with lava, he supposed, given Shulk was somehow comfortable wearing a vest over a sweater, but…

Two figures in black armor stood guard in front of a path leading north. Royal Guard members, maybe?

"Hey! You guys are with the Royal Guard, right?" Bart asked, running up to the pair. "Can you stand aside? We're pals with Undyne!"

One of the guards, a monster with bunny ears poking out of his helmet, shook his head. "Sorry, bro. Undyne said we can't let any humans pass, and she told us to keep out of any fights with large groups of humans!"

"But we're friends with Undyne! Come on…!" Jr complained.

"She also told us humans have mind control powers, dude! Undyne said we're not to let you guys pass under any circumstances!" the bunny-eared guard responded.

"Mind control…that's a load of b–"

"We'll be on our way now, we apologize," Gaignun quickly apologized before Jr could go on. Jr huffed as Gaignun herded him away from the two guards and closer towards the lab.

"Well, going that way is out, it seems," Elly noted. "Mind control, though…?"

"I wonder what the monsters have seen down here to think that we could control their minds. Wouldn't we have used that kind of power on them if we had it by now?" Citan mused.

"That's…not exactly morally right to do," Dunban pointed out. "Even if we had that kind of power, it's not right for us to use it on the monsters like that…"

The party headed towards the building, a glowing point appearing as Gaignun neared it. He hardly brushed past it–

 _I'm surprised seeing such a familiar-looking building doesn't bring back old memories, Nigredo,_ an old voice whispered in Gaignun's head.

Gaignun bit back a sigh. Ah yes, his ever-so wonderful father Yuriev. Ever since Yuriev died just before the Miltian Conflict, Gaignun had been acting as an unwilling host for him. At the moment, all he could do was talk, he wasn't quite strong enough to control Gaignun, and yet…there was the possibility that one day Yuriev would…

Gaignun followed the group into the building. It was dark and thankfully somewhat cooler than outside, at least.

"Be careful," Ziggy advised, quietly. "I can't tell what's in here, I don't want another monster like Undyne showing up and harming us."

"How many Royal Guard members could there be? Unless there's someone who's interested in capturing a human outside of the Royal Guard…" Citan wondered.

The lights suddenly flickered on, and everyone froze in place. They seemed to be in some sort of…lab, Gaignun supposed? There was a monitor that showed the group standing in the center of the lab, a desk with stacks upon stacks of paper on it, a fridge, and a bag of dog food nearby…and a few cameras hanging from the ceiling, focused on the party.

"A-Ah!" a squeaky female voice gasped softly before a short, yellow, reptile monster dressed in a lab coat and glasses gingerly approached the group. Unless they had some sort of power that could take the party by surprise…this monster didn't seem like they meant to harm the party.

"Ah…hello?" Shion greeted. "Who are you?"

"I-I'm Dr. Alphys, Asgore's Royal Scientist!" the monster responded. "O-Oh my gosh, you all arrived so early, I-I was going to make the lab a little less of a pigsty…"

"…'Arrived?' Have you been watching us?" Jin asked, frowning.

"Yes, I-I have! Ever since you came out of the ruins, actually," Alphys admitted. "I'm so sorry, I had to keep an eye out for humans, and I was going to alert the Royal Guard an unprecedented number of humans had gotten into the underground, but the more I watched you guys, the more I kind of…became invested in your journey. Watching someone on a screen really makes you root for them!"

"So you'll let us go, Dr. Alphys?" Dunban pressed.

"I would love to! Really, I would, but…uh…a long time ago, I made a robot named Mettaton," Alphys answered. "Originally, he was built to entertain people, l-like a robotic TV star or something. I tried making a few adjustments on him…a-a few…anti-human adjustments…"

"And…I assume he's out to harm us now?" Gaignun guessed.

"W-Well…when I saw all of you making your way through Waterfall, I tried to fix him, and…he's kind of…now an unstoppable machine with a thirst for human blood…" Alphys said, lowering her head. Out of the corner of his eye, Gaignun could see Shulk's friends tense up, Shion looking quite uncomfortable at Alphys saying Mettaton now had a thirst for human blood.

"That's, uh…not…exactly pleasant to know," Bart pointed out.

"D-Don't worry!" Alphys assured. "I'm sure the chances of running into him here are very, very low!"

As if on cue, Gaignun could hear muffled music through the wall on his left. The party backed away from the wall just as a large, calculator-looking robot burst through it. Somehow, the robot managed to keep upright on a single wheel…

"Welcome, beauties…to today's quiz show!"

Confetti rained down on the party from above, Fei and Shulk's groups reacting in surprise at seeing the confetti.

"Oh boy! I can already tell it's going to be a wonderful show!" the robot declared, a large letter M flashing on its face. "Everyone give a big hand for our wonderful contestants!"

The lab darkened, and a spotlight appeared over the entire party as the sound of applause rang throughout the room. Gaignun got the feeling this robot was Mettaton.

"Never played before, beauties? No problem, it's simple! There's only one rule: answer correctly…or you die!" the robot announced.

It was indeed Mettaton. A large board appeared next to Mettaton, with the letters 'A', 'B', 'C', and 'D' on it. Alphys looked nervous at the sight of this surprise quiz show…

 _Doesn't look very threatening for a robot that thirsts for human blood._

"Let's start with an easy one, shall we? First question: what's the prize for answering correctly?" Mettaton questioned. "Is it money, mercy, a new car, or more questions?"

The choices appeared on the board. Alphys quickly formed the letter 'D' with her hands.

"Er…more questions?" Gaignun answered. The answer lit up on the board.

"Right! Sounds like you get it!" Mettaton declared. Alphys gave the party a thumbs up, a relieved smile on her face. Okay, maybe this surprise quiz show wouldn't be so bad…

"Here is your terrific prize! What is the king's full name? Is it Lord Fluffybuns, Fuzzy Pushover, Asgore Dreemurr, or Dr. Friendship?" Mettaton asked, the answers on the board changing.

"That's easy! It's Asgore Dreemurr!" Shion responded.

"Correct! What a terrific answer!" Mettaon said.

"Should you really be calling the king Fuzzy Pushover in your quiz, though?" Billy mumbled.

"Now, enough about you, let's talk about me! What are robots made out of? Hopes and dreams, metal and magic, snips and snail, or sugar and spice?"

"I believe the correct answer is metal and magic," KOS-MOS answered. "Though I do not recall magic being used in my crea–"

"Too easy for you, huh?" Mettaton interrupted. "Sorry, darling, we're on a strict schedule!"

KOS-MOS said nothing in response, though Gaignun got the vibe she didn't want to be interrupted.

"Here's another easy one for you! Two trains, Train A and Train B, simultaneously depart Station A and Station B. Station A and Station B are 252.5 miles apart from each other. Train A is moving at 124.7 mph towards Station B, and Train B is moving at 253.5 mph towards Station A. If both trains departed at 10:00 AM and it is now 10:08, how much longer until both trains pass each other? 31.054 minutes, 16.232 minutes, 32.049 minutes, or 32.058 minutes?"

The party was silent for a few moments, several people just staring at the board and Mettaton. "…I'm…sorry, what?" Bart asked.

"I need an answer, beauties!" Mettaton reminded. Alphys was once again forming the letter D with her hands, likely having gotten the answer long before anyone else in the party did.

"32.058 minutes?" Jin responded.

"Wonderful! I'm astounded, folks!" Mettaton declared. "But don't 'count' on your victory!"

He somehow produced a jar with insects buzzing around in it. "How many flies are in this jar? 54, 53, 55, or 52?"

"You couldn't make this any easier, could you?" Reyn muttered, squinting. "Er…okay, let's see–"

"There are 54 flies in that jar," KOS-MOS answered. Reyn looked at her incredulously.

"Correct! My, you're all so lucky today!" Mettaton said. "Now, let's play a memory game!"

A picture of what Gaignun thought was a frog's face appeared below the letters on the board. "Which monster is this? Froggit, Whimsun, Moldsmal, or Mettaton?"

"Oh, that's easy! I remember from the library in Snowdin, it's a F–" Fei began before Alphys quickly shook her head and formed the letter 'D' with her hands. Fei faltered for a few moments.

"It's a what, darling?" Mettaton asked.

"It's…Mettaton?" Fei answered, raising an eyebrow. The picture panned out to reveal that it was Mettaton wearing a shirt with, presumably, a Froggit's face on it.

"I'm so flattered you remembered! But can you get this one: would you smooch a ghost?"

The answers on the board all changed to 'Heck Yeah'. Alphys squinted at Mettaton, then at the party.

"Well…heck yeah, I guess?" Shion responded.

"Great answer! I love it!" Mettaton shouted. Alphys sighed and shook her head; it seemed even she didn't understand the question.

"Why would you ask us about smooching ghosts…?" Citan wondered.

"Time for a spelling question! How many letters are in the word Mettaton?"

The word Mettaton appeared on the board, but several 'n's started appearing at the end of the word. Alphys held up eight fingers.

"There's eight letters in the word Mettaton!" Maria answered.

"Of course that was easy for you!" Mettaton noted. "Time to break out the big guns! In the dating simulation video game Mew Mew Kissy Cutie, what is Mew Mew's favorite food?"

"Oh, oh! I know this one!" Alphys blurted out. "It's snail ice cream! In the fourth chapter everyone goes to the beach, and she buys ice cream for all of her friends, but it's _snail-flavored_ and she's the only one who wants it, and it's one of my favorite parts of the game because it's a powerful message about…friend…ship…"

Alphys coughed, her face turning red. Mettaton waved his finger. "Alphys, Alphys, Alphys! You aren't helping our contestants, are you? Oooooh, you should have told me! I'll ask a question I'm sure you know the answer to!"

Mettaton returned his attention to the party. "Who does Dr. Alphys have a crush on? The head of the Royal Guard, Undyne? The king of all monsterkind, Asgore? You humans? Or no one at all?"

"That's a bit much, Mettaton! Geez!" Fiora pointed out.

"I need an answer, darlings!" Mettaton simply replied.

"All of us. She has a crush on all of us," Jin decided.

"…seriously? How conceited could you people get?" Mettaton wondered. "But I love it anyways! Ah, you should have seen her as she watched your journey, smiling as you succeeded, gasping when you were in danger…in its own way, is this not love?"

"I really don't think it's your place to say who she has a crush on," Dunban retorted.

"Well, well, well. With Dr. Alphys helping you, this show has no dramatic tension! We just can't go on like this! But…this was only the pilot episode! Next up, more drama! More romance! More bloodshed! Until next time, darlings~!"

Mettaton left through the hole in the wall he burst out of, taking the answer board with him. There was a few minutes of silence, no one quite sure how to respond.

"…well, that was certainly something," Alphys broke the silence. "E-Er…now then…I see you guys have a cell phone! Though it looks like a much older model…do you want me to upgrade that for you?"

Shion nodded, handing the phone over to Alphys. She quickly ran up an escalator leading upstairs, and the sound of her working on something could be heard.

"…so…you would smooch a ghost, Shion?" Melia asked, curious.

"…in my defense, those were the only answers we were given," Shion responded. "I doubt I could actually smooch a ghost if I wanted to."

Alphys soon returned, the phone looking a bit more up-to-date. "M-My number is in my phone in case you need anything! I-I also signed you up for the underground's number one social network! N-Now we're officially friends, ehehe! Ehe…"

An awkward silence fell, Alphys looking like she suddenly regretted speaking in the first place. Elly quickly broke the silence and replied, "Thank you, Dr. Alphys, we appreciate you doing this for us! We'll keep in touch in case we have any problems!"

"Y-You're welcome! I, uh…I need to go to the bathroom, pardon me…!"

Alphys quickly hurried past a glass door, shutting it behind her. The party exited the lab, the heat of Hotland bearing down on them again. The phone started buzzing; it was an update on the social network Alphys had mentioned earlier.

"I'll read…'just realized i didn't watch undyne's fight with the humans. ah well, i'll ask her about it later, i know she's unbeatable! for now i gotta call up the humans and guide them!'"

"I'm glad she's willing to help us," Dunban said. "I wish we didn't have to deal with Mettaton, though."

"Same here, but…that's that, it seems. So, who wants to bet we won't encounter a lot of monsters here either?" Bart asked.

"We can't be that far from the castle, I don't know if the monsters will let us just stroll into the castle like that," Ziggy guessed. "I know we might have to deal with those guards later at least."

"We can handle whatever comes our way, we just got past the head of the Royal Guard!" Jr reminded, puffing out his chest.

"Don't get too proud," Citan reminded. "We still need to exercise caution."

The phone started ringing, and Shion answered it.

"Hello, humans? This is Papyrus and Undyne! We were just watching the quiz show on TV!" Papyrus greeted.

"That was amazing! I can't believe you guys got all those answers right!" Undyne shouted.

"A-Ahaha…it was kind of tough, the question about the Froggit threw me off…" Shion admitted.

"Hey, by the way, be careful! RG01 and RG02 are probably going to keep you guys from getting too far into Hotland, I told them about this one anime Alphys and I watched that had this human who could control other humans if he looked into their eyes, so I…" Undyne began.

"We already know," Ziggy interrupted. "They told us about humans having mind control."

"Ahh, you guys already know! So yeah, talking to RG01 and 02 won't do much. Have fun going through Hotland!" Undyne said before hanging up.

"…what's anime?" Shulk asked.


	13. Hotland: Gaignun part 2

The group made their way through Hotland, MOMO trying to explain to Shulk what anime was.

"Anime is like…I think the best way to describe it is it being like a cartoon!" MOMO tried to explain.

"…I don't know what a cartoon is, either," Shulk admitted.

"What kind of world do you and the Homs live in…? Don't…Don't you know what cartoons are? Or animation at the very least?" Shion asked, eyes wide.

"Animation? Er…the Mechon haven't…exactly made it easy for us to survive on the Bionis, unless this animation thing is some sort of weapon or food…we probably don't have it," Dunban answered.

"I…I suppose it's a given, you guys don't seem to have much in the way of luxuries…" Shion noted.

Gaignun couldn't help but brush past another glowing point as the party walked past it, only to be surprised when Yuriev had nothing to say.

 _…what? Do you expect me to have something to say every time you brush past one of those points? Don't waste my time, Nigredo._

The phone gave a little buzz. Shion took it out and read it. " 'i really don't want to do this lmao, i hate using the phone'…maybe we should give her a call?"

"Maybe not, she…doesn't sound like she wants to talk right now," MOMO answered.

A few minutes passed before the phone suddenly rang. Shion answered it. "Hello?"

Gaignun heard a quiet gasp before a sudden click. Shion looked at the phone. "…the caller hung up."

"I'm betting it was Dr. Alphys," Reyn guessed. "Too nervous…?"

"I have to ask, do you guys know what phones are?" Jr asked Shulk's party. "Or is that another thing you guys don't have?"

Shulk shook his head. "Nope. We don't have phones. We…do have laser cannons to fight the Mechon with, however."

Gaignun couldn't help but gape at Shulk. "…you don't have phones, but you have laser cannons? How…why…"

"Hey, doesn't sound so strange to me," Bart commented. "We don't have these animations or phones either, but we have an airship!"

"And the Gears," Fei chimed in.

"Gears…? What would those be?" Jin asked.

"They're these giant robots we pilot to beat up other giant robots! It's pretty fun!" Bart answered. "Everyone who came from my world here has one, save for Chu-Chu."

"Is it because she's a bit too small to use the controls?" Shion wondered.

Chu-Chu shook her head. "Nope! I can churansform into a bigger version of me!"

"She's not lying," Maria admitted. "A while ago, I was…trying to fight an enemy Gear, but it had a Gear-jamming device in it. Chu-Chu…had a limiter removed, and she was able to grow several feet tall to fight said Gear."

"Shulk? You and your party seem a little anxious," Citan noted, glancing over at Shulk and his friends. Indeed, they seemed nervous; Shulk's hands balled up into fists, Fiora and Reyn didn't look at at Fei's companions, Dunban had a sharp grimace on his face, Riki's fur was fluffing up, Melia was gripping her hands tightly, and Sharla's face paled.

"S…Sorry, we're still…very uncomfortable with the idea of robots," Dunban apologized. "Mostly after the Mechon and seeing Mettaton."

"No, no, it's alright!" Maria assured. "I'm sorry, myself, I keep forgetting not everyone is comfortable with the idea of Gears."

"You guys probably wouldn't want to come to our world, then. We do a lot of fighting with our Gears," Bart explained, "and there's…a ton of Gears everywhere."

Shulk seemed to dig his nails into his palms, eyes getting wide. Gaignun quickly intervened and said, "Maybe for now we should drop the subject of Gears. We have a puzzle up ahead!"

There were several laser beams a few steps away. Some were colored orange and were stationary, others were colored blue and were moving back and forth. The phone rang, and Shion answered it.

"O-Okay, so the blue lasers, uh…" Alphys began before coughing. "I-I mean hi! Alphys here!"

"Hi, Dr. Alphys! You're calling to tell us about the puzzle, right?" Shion guessed.

"Y-Yeah! So uh, the orange lasers…you have to move through them, and you shouldn't move near the blue lasers! That's, ah…that's all I have!" Alphys explained before hanging up. The party slowly proceeded through the lasers, heeding Alphys' advice. Riki and Chu-Chu tested to see if they were small enough to simply walk under the lasers, but they were not. Eventually, everyone had cleared the laser puzzle.

"That wasn't so bad!" Reyn declared as they moved on. "Wasn't Papyrus' one attack blue too?"

"Yes, his 'blue attack'. Seems like just yesterday we were trying to get him to stop fighting us," Dunban noted.

"So it might be safe to assume if we have to face a monster and they use orange attacks, we have to move through them," Ziggy guessed.

"Seems so… _if_ we have to face one, anyways," Gaignun agreed. Like the other lands before them, Hotland so far was quiet, no monster in sight. It was rather worrying, though Gaignun had his suspicions that Undyne got R01 and R02 to get the monsters to deeper within the underground.

"I have to say, though, Shion and her friends seem to have a lot of technology we don't have," Citan noted. "And they seem fairly used to the level of technology the underground holds."

"Some of it is a more…downgraded form of what we have back home," chaos explained.

"We're probably far in the future compared to the rest of you," Jr guessed. "I think you guys would be shocked at what we have if you ever came to our world!"

"Do you guys also have giant robots?" Sharla asked, dryly. When Jr nodded, she cringed. "What is it with humans and large robots?"

"If it helps to know, they don't move on their own like the Mechon or Mettaton," MOMO quickly interjected. "They require people to pilot them–"

"But _why?_ " Melia interrupted. "What do humans need with those things?"

"Fighting Gnosis, for starters," Shion explained. "Though they're not…the best at that. It's admittedly easier just to fight the Gnosis on foot at times…"

"I have so many questions…" Shulk muttered. The next room they stepped foot into was dark, and smelled faintly of something…baking?

The phone rang again, and once again, Shion answered it. "Hello?"

"O-Okay, the room you're in is pitch-black, but don't worry! Just give me a moment to brighten it, and…"

The lights came on, and Alphys groaned. "Oh no."

The room they were in was a large kitchen holding a fridge, a counter, a window with a painted picture of a bright blue sky, a microwave on top of a set of drawers, and an oven with a stove for a top. On the counter was a carton of eggs, a carton of milk, and what Gaignun assumed was a sack of sugar. Another counter served as a prepping station of sorts a few feet away from the group, Mettaton standing at the counter with a chef's hat on top of his head.

"Ohhhhh yes! Welcome, beauties, to the underground's premier cooking show, 'Cooking With a Killer Robot'!" Mettaton said.

"Let me guess, he's going to try to use us in his cooking," Fiora mumbled to the party.

"Pre-heat your ovens, because we've got a very special recipe today! We're going to be making…a cake!"

Ah, that was what Gaignun smelled earlier. Mettaton turned toward the party. "My lovely assistants here will gather the ingredients! Everyone give them a big hand!"

The sound of clapping could be heard as confetti rained down on the party. Shulk and Fei's groups looked at the confetti curiously, and it registered to Gaignun that there seemed to be quite a few things neither the Homs nor Fei's group seemed to know about.

"Go for it, sweethearts~!" Mettaton prompted.

KOS-MOS retrieved the ingredients from the counter near the fake window, setting them down a bit too roughly on the prepping station. "I assume these are the ingredients you mentioned," she guessed, looking at Mettaton with a steely gaze.

"Perfect! Great job, beautiful!" Mettaton praised.

"Please refrain from calling me 'beautiful', Mettaton. My name is KOS-MOS," KOS-MOS corrected, a hint of irritation in her tone.

Mettaton seemed to brush this aside, turning back to face a camera. "We've got all the ingredients we need to bake the cake! Milk, sugar, eggs…oh my! Wait a magnificent moment! How could I forget? We're missing the most important ingredient!"

Mettaton's screen turned red as he held up a chainsaw. "A human soul!"

He turned on the chainsaw, slowly approaching the party. Shulk and KOS-MOS wasted no time in getting their weapons out, prepared to attack Mettaton.

"Wait, Shulk!" Dunban shouted, grabbing onto Shulk's vest.

"KOS-MOS, stand down!" Shion ordered, eyes wide. A phone suddenly rang, and Mettaton powered off the chainsaw to answer the phone.

"Hello…? I'm kind of in the middle of something here," Mettaton informed.

"W-Wait a second! Couldn't you make a…C-Couldn't you use a…" Alphys stuttered. "C-Couldn't you make a substitution in the recipe?"

"…a substitution? You mean, use a different, non-human ingredient?" Mettaton asked. "…why?"

"W-Well, what if someone's…vegan?" Alphys responded.

"…vegan," Mettaton repeated.

"I-I mean, uh–" Alphys began.

"That's a _brilliant_ idea, Alphys!" Mettaton declared, dropping the chainsaw. "Actually, I happen to have an option right here! MTT-Brand Always-Convenient Human-Soul-Flavor-Substitute! A can of which…is just over on that counter!"

Several feet away, there was a small red can resting on a small counter. The group wasted no time in approaching the counter…only for it to shoot up into the sky. Gaignun could hear Yuriev snickering quietly at the turn of events.

"By the way," Mettaton reminded as he neared the party, "this show runs on a strict schedule. If you can't get the can in the next minute, we'll just have to go back to the original plan!"

"I won't let you, you filthy M–"

Fiora elbowed Shulk roughly, and he yelped, dropping the Monado in surprise. "Shulk, now is really not the time to try to make an enemy out of Mettaton!"

"Better start climbing, darlings!" Mettaton prompted, rolling away. The phone rang, and this time Gaignun answered it.

"Oh no! There's not enough time to climb up!" Alphys gasped. "F-Fortunately, I might have a plan!"

"Might? Dr. Alphys, that's not very reassuring…" MOMO commented.

"When I was upgrading your phone, I added a few…features. You see the button that says 'JETPACK'? Watch this!"

The phone suddenly grew hot before it levitated out of Gaignun's hands, transforming into a jet-pack of sorts.

"Ooh! I want to use the jet-pack!" Jr volunteered, darting up to the jet-pack. It attached itself to his back, a pair of straps looping around his arms.

"You should have just enough fuel to reach the top!" Alphys' voice came out of a speaker. "Now go!"

The jet-pack suddenly took off, taking Jr with it. The party watched him as he flew up to the top of the counters, Mettaton trying to hinder Jr by throwing eggs, milk, and sugar at him.

"Gaignun, aren't you the least bit concerned for him? That's your son…" Sharla asked.

Gaignun shook his head. "As…cold as I sound, I have faith he'll be okay. He's been in worse situations."

"Worse? _Worse?_ Why would you put him in dangerous situations?" Elly questioned, horrified.

"It's…really not what you think," Shion tried to explain. "Jr is surprisingly competent for someone of his age, I swear!"

"How competent are we talking about, because he has to be younger than anyone else here…" Rico wondered.

"Jr reached the top!" MOMO interrupted. Jr was hovering near the top of the counters, Mettaton hovering just a few feet away. They were too high up to hear, though it was becoming increasingly obvious Mettaton had said something to upset Jr by the way he was angrily squirming around and seemingly shouting. Eventually, Mettaton flew away, and both the counter and Jr descended, Jr crossing his arms.

"…I take it Mettaton said something to offend you?" Melia guessed.

"He said the cake was already baked! 'Haven't you ever seen a cooking show before?' What the hell!" Jr cursed as the jet-pack returned to being a phone, MOMO catching it before it hit the ground.

"Wow, we…we did it!" Alphys gasped. "We really did it! Great job out there, team! W-Well, uh…anyway! Let's keep heading forward!"

She hung up again, and the party walked on, Shulk picking up the Monado and slinging it over his back. The next sight that greeted them was an impressive view of what seemed to be a large piece of machinery, disappearing into a lake of lava. Another glowing point was nearby, and Gaignun tentatively touched it.

 _…you're getting a kick out of me trying to act as some narrator, aren't you?_ Was all Yuriev said before falling silent. The phone rang again, and MOMO answered it.

"S-See that large structure in the distance? That's the core! It powers the entire underground!" Alphys explained.

"How does it work?" MOMO asked. "I mean…I think it converts geothermal energy into electricity, right?"

"Y-Yes, that's how it works!" Alphys confirmed. "A-Anyways, that's where you all need to go. In the core, there's an elevator that leads directly to the captial! And from there…you all can go home."

Alphys hung up, and the group took a few minutes to look up at the Core. It reached far up into the sky, so far up Gaignun couldn't even see the top.

"…would now be a good time to ask you guys what Gnosis are, while we're taking a break?" Billy asked Shion, breaking the momentary silence.

"Ah…we don't really know what they are ourselves," Shion admitted. "We just know they're hostile beings that…appeared out of nowhere, one day."

"Out of nowhere? That sounds an awful lot like the Telethia," Melia murmured.

"14 years ago, during the Miltian Conflict, they just…appeared. There have been a few sightings here and there throughout history, but…nothing on the level they're at now," Jr explained.

"They can turn people into salt, or into other Gnosis. Strangely, though…one tried to kill me, but I'm still alive and human," Shion went on.

"You sound like you got very lucky there," Citan noted. "Gnosis…I've never heard of them before now."

"We created the Anti-Gnosis Weapon System, or the A.G.W.S., for the purpose of trying to stop them. So far, results have been…mixed. KOS-MOS and MOMO can use the Hilbert Effect to make the Gnosis tangible, and allows us to defeat them," Shion added.

"Though, chaos…correct me if I'm wrong, but you can kill Gnosis just by touching them, right?" Jr asked.

chaos nodded. "I can. It's a special talent of mine," he confirmed.

"Special talent? I apologize, but something doesn't quite add up. The Gnosis sound like more of a threat than anything else I've ever heard of aside from the Mechon, but…somehow, you can destroy them with a touch?" Dunban summarized.

"Yes. It's an ability I've had for as long as I can remember, honestly," chaos explained. "I don't know how I got it, but…it's simply something I can do."

Dunban glanced at chaos warily, Jin looking lost in thought. There was more to chaos than he appeared, Gaignun and Jr both knew well, considering he hadn't aged a day since the Miltian Conflict, but…that wasn't his place to talk about.

"While we're talking about your guys' world…what's a Realian?" Fiora asked.

"A Realian is, in short, an organic android. Think…like a robot, but much more humanoid," MOMO answered. "I'm the 100-Series Prototype, but…the other 100-Series Realians are bit different compared to me."

Shulk's party looked wary at the idea of Realians. "So they…mimic human life…?" Shulk asked.

"Well…yes and no? They look almost exactly like humans, but they all have amber eyes, and they're assigned to do certain tasks for humans…" Shion responded.

"That's…That's _really_ unsettling," Sharla admitted. "Why would you make things like that?"

"Various reasons. Look, can we please stop with the questions now?" Jr asked, a bit roughly, as MOMO looked away with a frown on her face. "I think we've said enough about our world for now."

"I'm sorry," Sharla apologized, wincing at the look on MOMO's face. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, I'm just…not very used to the idea of machines that can mimic human or Homs life like that."

An uncomfortable silence fell, Fei's party looking back and forth between Shion and Shulk's respective parties. Jr and Ziggy stood protectively by MOMO, Shion seemed unhappy with how the conversation went, KOS-MOS didn't seem to care much for the situation at hand, chaos seemed to be keeping his distance, and Jin and Gaignun shared uneasy looks. Gaignun couldn't blame Shulk's party for being wary of Realians, if all they had ever seen were the presumably-monstrous Mechon, but…well, MOMO didn't seem to appreciate being called a 'thing'.

The phone rang again, and Shion answered it. "Hello?"

"Human! That cooking show was amazing!" Papyrus called from the phone.

"I wanted to see how that cake would have turned out, I can't believe Mettaton just said 'Oh, the cake was already made before the show started' and left!" Undyne complained.

"Where is the tiny human that used a jet-pack to reach the substitute? That was impressive flying for a small human!" Papyrus asked.

"Jr is…not in the mood to talk, unfortunately," Shion replied, glancing over at Jr as he shook his head. "Uh…anyways, we're currently making our way to the Core."

"The place where the underground's power is made? Papyrus, didn't Mettaton build a resort near that place?" Undyne asked.

"Why yes, he did! Sans occasionally performs stand-up at the resort, and I've been thinking of going over there myself once in a while!" Papyrus confirmed.

"A…A resort. He built a resort…near the Core. And the Core was apparently built over lava," Shion realized. "…why?"

"Why not! It makes for a rather lovely change of scenery after spending so much time in Snowdin or Waterfall!" Papyrus said.

"Oh, could you guys say hi to Alphys if you get the chance? I've been too busy to call her, and the last time I called her was to ask about the weather," Undyne admitted.

"But Undyne, there's no weather–" Papyrus began.

"Gotta go, bye!" Undyne quickly said, hanging up. The party quietly started moving on, entering an elevator to go up to the next floor.


	14. Hotland: Gaignun part 3

The elevator took the party up a floor, no one speaking to each other as they continued walking toward the Core. Gaignun could see Emeralda glancing nervously at Shulk's party out of the corner of his eye, and for a moment he wondered if she was something like a Realian as well. It didn't sound like technology was too advanced in Fei's world, but…

"Hey, look! Sans!" Bart said, breaking the awkward silence. Sans had somehow gotten ahead of the party, and was manning a station much like the one he had in Snowdin, complete with snow on the roof. Two monsters Gaignun did not recognize had…hot dogs with them?

"Heya," Sans greeted the party. "I decided to open up a hot dog stand."

"…why is there snow on the roof? You're in Hotland, there's…there's lava everywhere," Elly asked.

"I guess it's because I've had a _frosty_ reception with my 'dogs," Sans replied. Bart glared fiercely at Sans for the pun, frowning deeply. "Being serious, though, people seem to like my hot dogs. Want one?"

"Riki will take one!" Riki answered, waddling up to Sans' station. "Riki never had hot dog before!"

"I'll take one chu, please!" Chu-Chu chimed, joining Riki.

"Two 'dogs coming right up," Sans responded before pausing and looking at the two. "…wait. I got an idea."

"An idea?" Riki and Chu-Chu repeated. Sans bent over to whisper something to the two, and whatever he said, the two were nodding at the idea, turning so their backs were facing Sans.

"Riki? Chu-Chu?" Elly prompted shortly before Sans started stacking hot dogs on their heads.

 _…this is the biggest waste of time I've ever seen._

Gaignun couldn't help but be amused at the two letting Sans stack hot dogs on their heads. A few people started chuckling the longer Sans stacked the hot dogs, until it was hard to see Sans past either stack.

"Alright, I've stacked as many 'dogs as I could," Sans declared. "29 each is just fine, but 30? 30 'dogs is excessive."

"Ta-daaaa! Riki and Chu-Chu best at holding things on heads!" Riki declared, puffing out his chest in pride.

"That's, ah…nice, Riki," Shulk responded, trying his best to fake a smile. Riki and Chu-Chu seemed to deflate a little, the hot dog stacks falling apart as they both sighed.

"…Riki concerned. Shulk and friends not acting like selves," Riki noted.

"It's because of the stuff from Shion's world, isn't it, chu?" Chu-Chu guessed. "Chu guys can't let this keep bothering you forever!"

"Chu-Chu, you don't understand where we're coming from. We've been facing the Mechon all our lives, and…as awful as it's going to sound, the idea of something mechanical looking like a human or Homs…it's just plain unsettling to us," Reyn admitted, not looking at anyone.

"Chu have a good point, but MOMO is our friend! MOMO has stood with us against Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, even Mettaton…chu know, now that I think about it, Emeralda is kinda of like MOMO…"

"What? How?" Fiora asked.

"She's…a nanomachine colony," Elly explained. "She's not exactly a Realian, but…like MOMO, she's an artificial being. We've kept her with us ever since we met her."

MOMO's eyes lit up. "So I'm not…Emeralda, is that true?"

Emeralda nodded. "…was made by Fei's Kim," she quietly confirmed.

"Emeralda is artificial, but chu know what? We still see her as our friend! We couldn't be afraid of her like that…" Chu-Chu reminded.

"Hom-Hom friends and Melly have right to feel how they feel, but MOMO and Emeralda still friends! MOMO and Emeralda still deserve to be treated like other friends!" Riki added.

Shulk's portion of the party hesitated for several moments, and Gaignun privately wondered if Riki and Chu-Chu had said something they shouldn't have. Eventually, Shulk sighed. "…my apologies, MOMO, Emeralda. We'll…We'll do our best to treat you like any other human or Homs."

"Thank you, Shulk. I'm sorry, I…I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," MOMO apologized.

"No, you don't have to apologize!" Fiora quickly insisted. "It's really more a problem with us than with you, MOMO! Please, don't blame yourself!"

Sans gave a little cough. "Uh. Are you guys going to be okay?" He asked. Though Sans kept that grin on his face, there seemed to be a softer look in his eyes as he looked at the party.

Gaignun nodded. "Sorry about that. As you can probably guess by now…we're from different worlds."

"Hm. I suggest you guys get a move on, maybe walk and talk a little?" Sans suggested. "Seems there's a lot you don't know about each other."

Gaignun just nodded again before the party continued forward. Riki and Chu-Chu had relieved looks on their faces as they continued to walk, and Gaignun quietly thanked them both for their part in keeping the team working together.

"…there's still no monsters here," Elly noted. "Were they all evacuated, I wonder…"

"We can call Papyrus and Undyne and ask!" Fiora pointed out. "Who has the phone again?"

"I do!" MOMO responded, taking out the phone. She dialed Papyrus' number and waited a few moments.

"Hello, this is the Great Papyrus speaking!" Papyrus greeted.

"Papyrus, can we talk to Undyne? We have to ask her about something," MOMO said.

"Of course! One moment, human!" Papyrus answered. There was a brief pause before Undyne answered.

"Undyne here, what do you need?"

"Undyne, we have a question about the monsters in Hotland. Was everyone besides the Royal Guards here and Dr. Alphys evacuated?"

"More or less, yeah," Undyne confirmed. "Told everyone to head to Mettaton's resort if they could, but Alphys said she wanted to monitor you guys and tell me if something had happened to you guys. Hotland's pretty empty right now, huh?"

"It is. We've been dealing with empty areas ever since we wound up in the underground, it's just…unnerving for everything to be so quiet," MOMO said.

"Ever since, huh…you guys never said how you got into the underground, did you? What happened to cause so many humans to wind up down here?" Undyne wondered. "I mean…it's obvious now you guys don't mean to hurt even a spider down here, but…"

"…we don't know," Shion spoke up. "We all just…found ourselves down here without any warning."

"But don't you at least know just what you guys were doing? Humans don't just fall down here because they want to!" Undyne questioned. "What, do you guys have amnesia or something?"

No, it didn't seem likely. Gaignun could clearly remember he was at the Kukai Foundation just moments before everything went dark, and before he knew it, he was lying face-down in those golden flowers…

"No, we don't have amnesia," he spoke up. "Maybe it was a magic spell, or something of that kind."

"Magic…I don't know who in the underground would have a teleportation spell, but…what would their purpose be for bringing a bunch of humans into the underground? Hm…"

Undyne paused for a few minutes. "I'll look into seeing who could have possibly teleported you guys here if I can. Mettaton apparently has another thing coming up on TV in a little bit, and I want to catch it if I can."

With that, Undyne hung up on the party, and everyone continued walking. A few moments passed before the phone was suddenly buzzing with notification after notification, and Gaignun looked through the notifications. It…seemed to be Alphys talking about an anime.

'OMG, people really think mew mew 2 is better than mew mew 1? LOLLLLL, that's a joke, right…'

'omg…DONT THEY GET IT RUINS Mew Mew's ENTIRE CHARACTER ARC?'

'My Mew Mew 2 Review: Mew Mew Kissy Cutie 2 Is Neither Kissy Nor Cutie. Its Trash. 0 stars.'

"…Dr. Alphys seems to have…very strong opinions about anime," Gaignun noted as he put the phone away.

"Anime sounds very…weird," Dunban noted. "Why does your world have it, Gaignun?"

Gaignun could only shrug as they kept walking forward. In front of them was a small mouse hole, a safe of some sort resting on a table, and another glowing point. He gingerly touched it out of curiosity, only to grunt in disappointment when Yuriev offered no commentary.

The next area seemed just as quiet as the other areas before it, until a somewhat familiar voice called out, "Hey! You! Stop!"

The two Royal Guards from earlier approached the party. "We've, like, received an anonymous tip about a party of humans making their way through Hotland, and Undyne warned us about a bunch of humans that were in the underground…" the guard with rabbit ears began.

"We haven't hurt anyone," chaos spoke up. "Could you please consider just letting us go?"

The two guards shook their heads. "No way, bro! You're, like, standing in the way of everyone's hopes and dreams! Or at least that's what Undyne said about you guys…we can't let you pass!"

The duo drew their swords, preparing to strike the humans.

 _You know, I gave you your powers for a reason, Nigredo. Why not just blow them up? Or, if you're still bent on showing mercy to these things, just talk them out of it._

Gaignun huffed in irritation as he chose to ignore Yuriev, focusing on the Royal Guards. R01 and R02, if he recalled correctly…R01 seemed to be like a rabbit in appearance, while R02 seemed more like…a dragon? A lizard? Something similar to a reptile, that was for sure. They were both covered in black armor from head to toe, though there was dirt on R02's armor…

Riki seemed to notice the dirt on R02's armor as well, and darted up to him to wipe it away. "Riki help clean Royal Guard armor!"

"…I have…so many questions, Riki," Shulk mumbled. It seemed wiping off the dirt did something, at least: R02 started to look uncomfortable in his armor for a few moments, and R01 looked toward him.

"02, bro? You okay?" he asked.

R02 shook his head. "…01…armor…too hot…!"

He ripped off the chest plate on his armor, revealing a muscular chest covered in scales. R01 looked immediately bothered by R02 taking off a piece of his armor, fidgeting in place and sweating a little.

"…R01, why don't you try talking to him?" Gaignun prompted. R01 jumped in surprise before reluctantly nodding, looking at R02.

"I…I…d-dude, I…I can't take this anymore! Not like this! Like, R02…I like, _like_ you, bro!" he blurted out. "The way you fight, the way you talk…I love doing team attacks with you, I love standing here with you, bounding and waving our weapons in sync…like, 02, I want to stay this way forever…"

There was a moment of surprised silence between the two. Gaignun hadn't intended for that to happen, but…he'd take it.

"I mean, uh…whew, bro! That human put me, uh, under mind control!" R01 quickly corrected himself, pointing his sword at Gaignun. "What was I just saying? It's a blur, dude! Whoops!"

Gaignun felt a surge of panic. Had he accidentally used one of his powers? He swore he was being so careful, he couldn't have accidentally–

"…01," R02 said.

"Y-Yeah?!" R01 responded, nervously.

"…do you…want to go get ice cream together?" R02 asked.

"S-Sure, dude! Haha!" R01 answered before the two walked away, leaving the humans be.

"…that…wasn't what I was expecting, but ah well. Gaignun, are you alright?" Citan asked, noticing Gaignun's widened eyes.

"…I…I'm fine, sorry. I was worried they were going to try to kill us if R02 didn't return R01's feelings," Gaignun answered. Citan held his gaze on him for a few moments, perhaps not entirely convinced, before nodding.

"I have to agree with Gaignun, I thought that was going to go pear-shaped there," Jr chimed in as they resumed their pace.

"Well, at least they have each other. Mind control, though…I can't believe they really think we would control them," Shion commented. Gaignun could only nod in response.

The next area was completely dark again, but Gaignun couldn't smell anything in the air this time. He knew at once this had to be another trap of Mettaton's. The phone rang, and he answered it.

"Okay, I'm back, sorry about that!" Alphys apologized. "A-Another dark room, huh? Don't worry! My hacking skills have got things covered!"

The lights came on, and Alphys yelped. "A-Are you serious?"

There was all manner of lights and cameras surrounding the group, Mettaton standing nearby, dressed in a red suit. It was hard to see around the area, save for a few random objects scattered about.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh yessss~! Good evening, beauties and gentlebeauties! This is Mettaton, reporting live from MTT News!" Mettaton proclaimed. "An interesting situation has arisen in eastern Hotland! Fortunately, our correspondents are out here, reporting live!"

"…correspondents? What is he trying to rope us into?" Reyn wondered.

"Brave correspondents! Please find something newsworthy to report!" Mettaton prompted. "Our ten wonderful viewers are waiting for you!"

"It's hard to see anything with all these lights!" Elly pointed out, but Mettaton didn't answer. Jr squinted as he looked around, until his eyes lit up and he ran over to something.

"Jr? What did you find?" Fiora asked.

"A dog!" Jr responded, picking up the small white dog that had stolen Papyrus' special attack. It happily wagged its tail as Jr held it up.

"What a sensational opportunity for a story! I can see the headline now: 'A dog exists somewhere.' Frankly, I'm blown away. Is that what you want to report, darling?" Mettaton asked.

Jr excitedly nodded. "Of course!"

"Attention, viewers! One of our correspondents has found…a dog!" Mettaton announced. A chorus of 'awww's came from somewhere Gaignun couldn't see. "That's right, folks! It's the feel-good story of the year! Look at its little ears, its tiny paws, its fluffy tail…"

Mettaton fell silent, and Gaignun did his best not to sigh. That dog wasn't what it appeared to be, was it?

"…wait a second! That's not a tail, that's a fuse!" Mettaton realized. Instantly, a fuse lit on the dog's tail, and Jr's eyes widened.

"W-What the hell?!"

"That's right…that dog… _is a bomb!_ " Mettaton shouted. "But don't panic! You haven't even seen the rest of the room yet!"

The lights died down to reveal a basketball, a script, a glass of water, a present, and a video game, all with fuses coming out of them. A much larger bomb was at the north end of the area.

 _…that's just excessive._

"Oh my!" Mettaton gasped. "It seems everything in that area is a bomb! That basketball is a bomb! That present is a bomb! Even that innocuous glass of water is a bomb!"

"I get you want to kill us, Mettaton, but isn't this a bit much?!" Bart yelled.

"Brave correspondents, if you don't defuse all of the bombs within five minutes, this big bomb will blow you all to smithereens! Then you won't be reporting 'live' anymore! How terrible!" Mettaton declared. "Our nine viewers are going to love watching this! Good luck, darlings!"

Alphys called in again. "D-Don't worry! I installed a bomb-defusing program on your…o-oh no."

"Oh no? Dr. Alphys? What happened?" MOMO asked.

"T-The program! It's still sitting on my desk, oh my god I forgot to install it!" Alphys realized, voice rising in pitch. "Oh no, oh no, _oh no…!_ "

"This might be a bad idea, but…could we just freeze the bombs?" Melia asked. "It could stop them from exploding…"

"Freeze the…I-I don't know, but you have to try!" Alphys prompted. "Anything to stop the bombs from exploding!"

"Right, then! Any and all ice ether users, let's get started on freezing the bombs!" Melia prompted, taking out her staff. Jin, KOS-MOS, chaos, and Elly quickly dashed towards the other bombs, while Jr set down the dog. He paused for a few seconds before simply pinching the fuse, extinguishing the small flame.

"Dog bomb defused!" Jr called.

"Glass of water bomb frozen!" chaos confirmed.

"Script bomb defused!" Elly shouted.

"Basketball defused!" KOS-MOS informed.

"Video game bomb frozen!" Jin declared.

"Present bomb frozen!" Melia said.

"Well done, darlings!" Mettaton praised. "You deactivated all of the bombs! If you didn't deactivate them, the big bomb would have gone off in two minutes! Now…it won't go off in two minutes. _It will explode in two seconds!_ "

There was a moment of panic as the party members clustered around each other, the sound of multiple Ether spells going off in an attempt to shield everyone from the blast filling the room. Jr was trying to shield Gaignun as well as he could, and he could do little more than hug Jr tightly and shut his eyes–

"…ah. It seems the bomb isn't going off," Mettaton realized. Gaignun cracked open one eye to see the larger bomb wasn't exploding, and there was a collective sigh of relief from everyone.

"That's b-because! While you were monologuing…I…! I f… fix…um…I ch-change…" Alphys began, stammering.

"Oh no. You deactivated the bomb with your hacking skills," Mettaton realized.

"Y-Yeah! That's what I did!" Alphys confirmed.

"Curses! It seems I've been foiled again! Curse you, humans, and curse you Dr. Alphys! But I don't curse my eight wonderful viewers for tuning in~until next time, darlings!"

Mettaton rolled away, and everyone slowly relaxed, dispelling the numerous Ether spells casted.

"W-Wow…we really showed him, huh? H-Hey, I know I was kind of weird at first…but I really think I'm getting more…uh, more…m-more confident about guiding you guys! S-So don't worry about that b-big d-dumb robot…I-I'll protect you from him! A-And if it really c-came down to it, we could just t-turn…um, never mind. Later!"

Alphys hung up, leaving the party to keep moving forward. Gaignun realized he was shaking a little as he straightened up, and he grunted in irritation.

"Gaignun, are you okay?" Jr asked. "You're shaking there…"

"I'm fine, I wasn't expecting Mettaton to try to blow us all up," Gaignun assured as they walked on, approaching another view of the Core. Alphys called again just as they entered the area.

"Um…I noticed you guys haven't called much. A-Are you worried about meeting Asgore?" she asked.

"Sort of. We know once we meet with him and go past the barrier…that might be the last thing we do in the Underground," Gaignun admitted. "We only know he's nice, according to what others have said, but…"

"W-Well, don't worry, okay? Th-The King is a really nice guy! I'm sure you can talk to him, and…w-with your human souls, you can pass through the barrier! S-So no worrying, okay? J-Just forget about it and smile!" Alphys prompted before hanging up again. The party stopped for a moment to look out at the Core, no one talking for a few minutes.

"…do you mind me asking a little about the world you and your friends come from, Dunban?" Jin asked after a while.

"Ah! Go ahead, Jin!" Dunban responded.

"The Monado…I admit I'm curious about its origins. Nothing like that exists in the world I came from, after all," Jin admitted.

"Ah, that…14 years ago, according to my friend Dickson, he had found the Monado in a location called Ose Tower. Ever since he grabbed it from the tower, it's been kept in Colony 9…at first, I wound up being its wielder, but…"

Dunban looked away. "It seems to have a mind of its own, or is very choosy about its wielder. It took a lot out of me to use in battle, but…I tried to stay determined. I tried to remain in control of it…but during the Battle of Sword Valley, everything finally came to a head. I lost use of my arm, the Monado was kept in the military's research lab, and…I lost one of my friends."

Jin was quiet, a surprised look on his face. "…I am truly sorry to hear that, Dunban. If you ever came to our world, we have plenty of medicine and treatments available to help you."

"If I can be honest with you, I don't know if any of those treatments would work, but…thank you, Jin," Dunban responded.

The phone rang, breaking up the touching moment, and Gaignun was quick to answer it. "Hello?"

"Are you humans okay?!" Papyrus asked immediately. "To think Mettaton would nearly blow all of you up…!"

"I missed the start of the broadcast, but holy crap!" Undyne commented. "All of those bombs…"

"We're fine, we're…mostly spooked from nearly being killed, really," Gaignun admitted. "Undyne, have you found anything on teleportation spells?"

"There was this old book I found in Papyrus' room that had information on how to teleport yourself, but nothing on teleporting other people. I'll keep looking and call if anything else comes up," Undyne answered. "Just…don't let Mettaton kill you in the meantime, okay?"

"Will do. See you later, Undyne," Gaignun answered before hanging up. The party picked up the pace, entering an elevator and riding it up a floor. The sight that greeted them there was a young, spider-like woman with five purple eyes, pale blue skin, six arms, black hair tied up in pigtails, and some sort of red outfit. There was a table in front of her covered in red cloth, a display case holding all sorts of pastries within it. Spider webs decorated the area around her.

"Reyn?" Billy prompted, and Gaignun glanced over at Reyn. To his worry, Reyn has turned as white as a ghost, trembling as his widened eyes were focused on the spider-woman nearby.

"A-Ah, Reyn…! Forgive him, he's…he has arachnophobia, I didn't think we'd see spiders down here. Fiora and I will escort him out of here and wait for you guys!" Shulk apologized. He and Fiora guided Reyn away from the area as fast as they could manage, the spider-woman watching in amusement.

"Ahuhuhu…your friend doesn't seem to like spiders," she noted as the others approached her table. "Anyways, welcome to the Underground's Spider Bake Sale! My name is Muffet, and I'm running the bake sale. Would any of you care for a pastry or some cider? They're made by spiders, for spiders, with spiders!"

"Ah, we'd love to, but…we're broke right now, unfortunately. Sorry," chaos apologized.

"Are you sure? They're only 9999 gold~" Muffet asked.

" _9999 gold?!_ We just said we're broke!" Bart pointed out.

"Our apologies, Muffet, but we probably should keep going," Citan answered. "We wish you luck in your bake sale."

Though as Gaignun walked away to rejoin Shulk, Reyn, and Fiora, he could feel Muffet watch him and the party walk away. He really hoped they wouldn't run into her again anytime soon…


	15. Hotland: Gaignun part 4

Shulk, Fiora, and Reyn were waiting for the party as they left Muffet's area. Reyn was trying to take deep breaths, back turned toward the party.

"Reyn, are you going to be okay?" MOMO asked.

"I…I will, just give me a few minutes," Reyn answered, not looking behind him. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright, Reyn, we can't fault you for having a phobia," Ziggy pointed out. "Know that we're here if you need any help."

Reyn nodded. "I'm…I can keep going now, I just…really hope we don't see anymore spiders down here."

"I'm sure we'll be fine," Shulk assured. "And if we have to fight Muffet, I'll make sure she doesn't get near you."

"…thanks, Shulk," Reyn mumbled in response as the party resumed walking forward. Some of the party seemed determined not to let another bit of silence happen, trying to chat amongst themselves. Dunban, Jin, and Citan were talking about swords, with Dunban gleefully chatting about some move called 'Blossom Dance'. Billy and Jr, similarly, were talking about guns, and Gaignun found himself listening to their conversation.

"You have how many guns, Billy?" Jr asked, raising his eyebrows

"Five guns, and that's not including the ones my Gear has. I didn't intend to keep so many guns on me at first, but being an Etone…it's not an easy job. We hunt down Reapers that plague the land, after all," Billy answered.

"Reapers? Those sound like Gnosis…" Jr noted.

"I don't think they are Gnosis…unless that's their actual name and no one's known until now," Billy guessed. "I'm surprised you don't keep more guns on you, Jr."

"Ah, well…for starters, it took a while for me to learn how to use two guns at once, never mind Gaignun…" Jr admitted.

"I didn't want him playing with guns in the Kukai Foundation, or anywhere else where people could get hurt," Gaignun cut in. "Even if he acts mature for his age, he's still a child."

Jr coughed, looking away. "Yes, yes, Gaignun…"

The party came to a halt in front of what seemed to be a large purple building, a handful of webs decorating the exterior.

"…Shulk…" Reyn began, glancing warily at the webs.

"We'll scout out the inside of the building, and we'll come get you when it's safe. Just stay here, alright?" Shulk asked. Reyn nodded in response, and the rest of the party entered the building. The floor was sticky, made up mostly of webbing. Spiders hung from the ceiling, slowly ascending as the party passed them by.

"Ahuhuhuhu…did you hear what they just said?" Muffet's voice whispered. "They said a large group of humans will come through…"

"Muffet, please, we don't want to fight!" Fiora pointed out.

"I heard that the humans hate spiders," Muffet's voice went on.

"Muffet, we don't hate spiders, and Reyn simply has arachnophobia," Jin tried to retort.

"I heard that they love to stomp on them," Muffet whispered, beginning to sound agitated.

"We really have no choice here, it seems," Fei guessed, sighing.

"I heard that they like to tear their legs off," Muffet said, voice starting to grow louder.

The party came to a halt in the middle of the room. Large webs covered the walls, Muffet resting on a large web to the left.

"I heard…that they're awfully stingy with their money."

Numerous purple spiders surrounded the party, and everyone slowly huddled together. "Muffet, please don't do this…" Gaignun began.

"Ahuhuhuhu…you think your tastes are too refined for our pastries, don't you, dearies? Ahuhuhu…I disagree with that notion. I think your tastes are exactly what this next batch needs!"

 _Just squish that spider and be done with her!_

Gaignun refused to answer Yuriev's command, trying to analyze the situation. The party's movement was hindered from standing in cobwebs, along with being surrounded by spiders on all sides. Two large cobwebs, looking almost like pillars, were on either side of Muffet. A purple light filled the room, though he couldn't tell where it was coming from. Muffet had her gaze set on the party, a grin on her face and her eyes narrowed.

"I must say, purple looks wonderful on you all, dearies! Ahuhu~" she giggled.

"C-Come on, Muffet, just let us go…!" Fiora pleaded.

"Let you go? Don't be silly~!" Muffet responded. Within an instant, the spiders were suddenly taking out various pastries and throwing them at the party. One doughnut hit Gaignun in the head, and he grunted in pain before trying to duck the rest of the tossed food.

"Your souls are going to make every spider very happy! You're all going to make such delicious cakes~!" Muffet added, clasping a pair of her hands together.

"Are we just supposed to keep dodging these pastries until she gets tired of us?!" Jr wondered.

"That seems to be the only option here! It's not like we could bribe her to just leave us alone!" Bart answered.

"Oh, how rude of me~! I almost forgot to introduce you to my pet! It's breakfast time, isn't it? Have fun, dearies!" Muffet declared. A large, purple spider that reminded Gaignun of a muffin descended from one of the larger webs, giving a loud shriek before barreling after the party.

"Up that larger web! Hurry!" Shion commanded, managing to struggle over to one of the larger webs and start climbing up. Everyone followed suit as fast as they possibly could, just barely avoiding Muffet's pet's jaws. The large spider seemed to treat it like some sort of game, circling around the web and tapping the ground in front of it with its front legs. Eventually, it seemed to get bored of waiting for the humans and Homs to climb down, and climbed up the web it came from, allowing the party to climb down.

Muffet seemed amused by the party avoiding her pet. "Ahuhu…you know, the person who warned us about you…they offered a lot of money for your souls."

"Person who warned you…Mettaton?" Gaignun guessed, ducking a croissant aimed at him.

"It's strange, but I swore I saw them in the shadows…changing shape…?" Muffet wondered, crossing one pair of arms and tilting her head as she thought. The rain of pastries seemed to get heavier, the webs littered with doughnuts and croissants to the point Riki and Chu-Chu were trying to clear out the floor, tossing the pastries over the spiders so their allies could dodge better.

"Where the hell do they get so much food?!" Jr wondered.

"Talk less, dodge more!" Dunban advised, only to yelp when a pastry managed to hit his head.

"Oh, it's lunch time isn't it? And I forgot to feed my pet~" Muffet realized. The giant spider from before returned, and pursued the party again. Once again, everyone scrambled up the web, but this time the spider tried to ram the wall the web was leaning against.

"Shion, at this rate, the web will likely fall apart," KOS-MOS reported. "We will have to think of another way to avoid the spider then."

"Is there another way? We're being blocked off by spiders on all sides!" Elly pointed out.

 _You could always simply kill that spider._

"We could fight, but we're already disliked by monsters as is, plus we really shouldn't go around trying to kill them…!" Billy pointed out.

The party dropped down from the web as Muffet's pet retreated again, and the onslaught of pastries continued. Riki and Chu-Chu were starting to wear out, the two huffing and puffing as they did their best to keep the ground food-free.

"With all that money, the spider clans can finally be reunited! Oh, but I guess you humans don't know about that…spiders have been trapped in the ruins for generations! Even if they got under the door, Snowdin's fatal cold is impassible alone," Muffet explained.

"Spiders in the ruins? We must have missed them…" Jin realized.

"But with the money from your souls, we'll be able to rent each of them a heated limo!" Muffet declared. "And with all of the leftovers, we could have a wonderful vacation~"

"That seems a bit too extravagant, don't you think?" Citan asked, shortly before he was beaned with a doughnut. He clutched his head in pain, taking a few steps back. Shulk quickly stepped forward to shield Citan from another pastry aimed at him, raising the Monado in defense.

"But enough of that…it's time for dinner, ahuhuhu~!" Muffet giggled, raising a hand to her mouth.

The giant spider made another appearance, scrambling towards the party the moment it touched the ground. No one wasted any time in climbing the web again, though Gaignun could feel it beginning to sag. The spider repeatedly rammed the wall the web was hanging on, and within moments, the web tore and sent the group crashing to the ground. Gaignun wheezed sharply as Jr landed on his back, slowly looking up at the giant spider looming over the group, heart beating loudly in his chest.

"You're still alive? Ahuhuhuhuhuhu~I hope my dear little pet enjoys its lunch~" Muffet laughed. At that moment, a small spider skittered over to her, holding a piece of paper in its hands. "Oh? A telegram? From the spiders in the ruins?"

Gaignun tried to shrink back as the giant spider opened its maw, prepared to devour everyone before it. He shut his eyes, bracing himself to feel pain.

"Ah, wait! Don't devour them!" Muffet ordered. Gaignun opened his eyes to see her pet reluctantly retreat, looking upset. "This telegram…the spiders in the ruins saw you, and even though you were stingy, none of you ever hurt a single spider!"

"Oh, thank goodness…" Shion mumbled.

"Oh my, this has all been a big misunderstanding! The person who asked for those souls…they must have meant a different group of humans~! Sorry for all the trouble, ahuhuhu~" Muffet said. The spiders scattered, letting the party go free. Gaignun slowly crawled out from the pile, wincing as he felt a stab of pain in his back.

"I'll make it up to all of you~you can come back here at anytime you'd like, and for no charge at all, I'll wrap you all up and let you all play with my pet again!"

Muffet paused, then grinned. "Just kidding~! Ahuhuhu…that was fun! See you again, dearies!"

With that, Muffet climbed up another web and left the party in peace. Shulk, Shion, and Fei didn't move from the remainder of the pile at first, likely in pain. Jin and Sharla darted over to their sides.

"Are you three okay? You were at the bottom of that…" Sharla asked.

"I-I'm in a little pain…" Shulk admitted, slowly pushing himself up. "Fiora, can you get Reyn and tell him we're okay…?"

"I'll get him," Fiora answered, hurrying back to where Reyn was.

"Is anyone else injured from the fight?" Jin asked as he got to work healing Fei, Shion, and Shulk with Sharla's help. Several people weakly mumbled in response, Gaignun being one of them. Within a few moments, MOMO hurried over to him and cast a few healing spells, the pain in his back easing up.

"Thank you, MOMO, Jr landed a little roughly on me…" Gaignun thanked, giving MOMO a gentle smile.

"You're welcome, Gaignun! You might want to take it easy for a while just in case, okay?" MOMO suggested.

"I will, don't worry," Gaignun answered.

Fiora returned with Reyn in tow, and Reyn looked concerned at the aftermath of the fight. "…are you guys gonna be okay?"

"We'll be fine, it's nothing we're not used to," Fei assured. "I mean, I've fought dinosaurs before…"

"…dinosaurs," Shion repeated, looking at Fei incredulously.

"Yes. Dinosaurs," Fei confirmed. "They…hurt a lot more than getting stuck at the bottom of a bunch of people falling."

"…I'm sorry. I don't think I could've been of any use in that fight," Reyn apologized, bowing his head.

"Reyn, you don't have to apologize!" Shulk pointed out. "Look, I…I should be apologizing too, it's my fault you're afraid of spiders in the first place…"

"…do you mind me asking why Reyn has arachnophobia?" Gaignun questioned, looking at Shulk curiously.

"When we were kids, I…I put a spider in Reyn's shoe. He put a caterpillar in my drawer, and I wanted to retaliate. We more or less forgot about that until recently…I still feel bad, Reyn, I shouldn't have…" Shulk began, haltingly.

"Shulk, come on, it's alright! We were little kids back then, and we both forgot about it, right? Look, maybe it might be best to just move on from that," Reyn interrupted. "I don't want you getting so upset over it!"

Shulk slowly nodded. "…right. I, uh…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to waste time like that."

"Don't apologize. It was interesting to learn about you and Reyn," chaos assured. "In any case, shall we keep moving?"

The party left the building, walking out onto what appeared to be a stage. There was a large, purple background with black buildings painted on, a small gray tower standing near the other side of the stage with a staircase descending from it.

"Oh? Those humans…" Mettaton's voice rang out. Gaignun looked up at the tower, spotting Mettaton at the top. He was now wearing a blue dress.

"Could it be…my one true loves?"

A fake full moon and stars descending from the ceiling, suspended by wire. Music started to play as Mettaton…not very gracefully descended the steps. Having one wheel for a leg didn't exactly help with grace, it seemed.

 _What is this stupid robot about to do–_

" _Oh my love…please run away…_ "

Gaignun could feel Yuriev's disbelief as Mettaton began to sing, and he glanced at the rest of the party to see everyone looked as baffled as Yuriev felt.

" _Monster King_  
 _Forbids your stay_  
 _Humans must_  
 _Live far apart_  
 _Even if_  
 _It breaks my heart_  
 _They'll put you_  
 _In the dungeon_  
 _It'll suck_  
 _And then you'll die a lot_  
 _Really sad_  
 _You're gonna die_  
 _Cry cry cry_  
 _So sad it's happening._ "

Mettaton paused. "So sad. So sad that all of you are going to the dungeon. Well, toodles!"

He took out a remote and pressed a button. The floor gave out beneath the entire party, sending them falling into a room with a large number of colored tiles before them. Mettaton descended from above.

"Oh no! Whatever shall I do?" he wailed in a rather fake-sounding voice. "My loves have been cast away into the dungeon! A dungeon with a puzzle so dastardly, my paramours will surely perish!"

"Those tiles…they're from that puzzle in Snowdin," Citan realized.

"O, heavens have mercy! The horrible colored tile maze! I believe you all already know the rules of those tiles, yes? Great…then I won't waste your time repeating them! Oh, and you'd better hurry, because if you don't get through in thirty seconds…"

A wall of fire appeared behind the party. "You'll be incinerated by these jets of fire! Ahahahahaha!" Mettaton laughed. "My poor loves! I'm so filled with grief, I can't stop laughing! Good luck, darlings!"

The next 30 seconds were chaos as everyone scrambled to complete the puzzle, Mettaton singing in the background again.

"Stupid water tiles!"

"Was that a dog?!"

"I thought you had to be lemon-scented to drive off the fish!"

"Ow ow ow ow ow! I hate the frigging electricity tiles!"

Eventually the tiles grayed out, and most of the party was in various parts of the tile puzzle. Jin, Citan, Dunban, and chaos had somehow gotten to the end of the puzzle. Mettaton appeared before the four.

"Congratulations! You made it through the puzzle!" Mettaton praised. "And now, without further ado, the flames be deactivated! No! More! Fire!"

The wall of fire was snuffed out, and the party gave a collective sigh of relief.

"…but it's as the phrase goes: 'Out of the fire, and into the frying pan.' That's right, darlings! Even if you manage to beat the heat…you'll never be able to withstand my hot metal body! Prepare yourself for my–"

Mettaton was interrupted by a phone call from Alphys. "Watch out! I'll save you! Flames, deactivate!"

She paused. "…huh?"

"The humans finished the puzzle," Mettaton responded. "I already turned off the flames. In fact, I was just about to fight the humans."

"Wh-What? _That_ puzzle? I-I mean, uh…great job! W-We've got him on the ropes, now!" Alphys spoke.

"On the ropes? Ha! I only deactivated the flames knowing that Alphys would have done so anyways! Now, where were we? Oh yes, I was going to eradicate all of you!" Mettaton declared.

The party joined Jin, Citan, Dunban, and chaos' sides, prepared to defend.

 _You should just let that blonde child strike it down already._

"This is it, darlings!" Mettaton warned. "Say good bye!"

The phone rang again, and Mettaton stopped. "Is that your phone? Better answer it!"

Gaignun quickly answered it. "Dr. Alphys?"

"H-Hey! Th-This seems bad, but don't worry! Th-there's one last thing I installed on your phone…! You see that yellow button…? Press it!" Alphys prompted.

Gaignun pressed the button, and the phone transformed into a blaster of some sort.

"Now, pull the trigger!" Alphys shouted. Gaignun aimed at Mettaton and pulled the trigger. A small yellow blast collided with Mettaton, and he shuddered.

"Oooh…ooooooh! You've defeated me!" Mettaton gasped. "How can this be, you were stronger than I thought, etc…!"

Mettaton rolled away, leaving the party be. Jr squinted at Mettaton. "…he didn't seem to be seriously hurt."

The phone returned to normal, and Alphys was calling again. "L-Looks like you beat him! Y-You did a really great job out there!"

"Thank you, though…I don't think he's entirely beaten yet," Gaignun guessed.

"A-Ah, yeah, right! Y-You were doing everything cool…I just wrote some silly programs for your phone!" Alphys answered.

She hesitated. "…h-hey, this…this might sound strange, but before you guys came down here…I-I didn't like myself very much. I felt like I couldn't do anything without screwing up…without letting everyone around me down. B-But…! Guiding you guys has made me feel…a lot better about myself," Alphys admitted.

"Alphys…" Gaignun began, hesitantly.

"S-So…thanks for letting me help you. Uhh, anyway, we're almost to the Core! It's just past MTT Resort! Come on, let's finish this!"

Alphys hung up, and the party proceeded on. As they trekked up a set of staircases, they spotted R01 and R02 at an ice cream cart with a blue rabbit-like monster, the guards enjoying themselves.

"They seem happy together, that's rather sweet…!" Melia noted.

Sans stood in front of a large building at the top of the staircases, waving at the party as they walked up to him.

"Hey. I heard you're going to the Core. How about a chat before you go?" Sans offered. "MTT Resort's crowded as all get out right now, but I know a shortcut."

"Sure. Lead the way," Shion answered. Sans nodded and led the party into an alleyway, but before Gaignun knew it, they were inside what seemed to be a restaurant. It was mostly empty at the moment…

"Well, here we are," Sans spoke after a few moments. "So. Your journey here is almost over, huh? You guys must really wanna go home."

"We do," Shulk responded. "There's a million things we need to get done at home…"

"Hey, I know the feeling, bud. Though…maybe sometimes it's better to take what's given to you. Down here, you've already got food, drink, friends…"

Sans paused at seeing Gaignun, and presumably others, fix a hard stare on him. "…is what you have to do really worth it?"

"Of course it is!" Shion answered. "It's worth it, Sans…!"

Sans took a deep breath, shutting his eyes. "…ah, forget it. I'm rootin' for all of you," he assured, opening his eyes again.

The air around the party slowly relaxed, and silence fell for a few moments.

"…hey. Let me tell you guys a story. So I'm a sentry in Snowdin Forest, right? I sit out there and watch for humans. It's kind of boring," Sans began.

"Yes…?" Maria responded, confused.

"Fortunately, deep in the forest…there's this huge locked door, and it's perfect for practicing knock-knock jokes. So one day, I'm knocking 'em out, like usual. I knock on the door, and say 'knock knock.' And suddenly, from the other side…I hear a woman's voice," San continued.

'Toriel!' Gaignun realized, quietly.

"And she says, 'Who is there?' So, naturally, I respond: 'dishes'. 'dishes who?' 'dishes a very bad joke.'"

MOMO giggled at the joke, and Sans' grin seemed to grow wider.

"Then she starts howling with laughter, like it's the best joke she's heard in a hundred years. So I keep 'em coming, and she keeps laughing. She's the best audience I've ever had," Sans admitted. "Then, after a dozen of 'em, she knocks and says…'Knock knock!' I say 'Who's there?' 'Old lady!' 'Old lady who?' 'Oh! I did not know you could yodel!'"

Gaignun couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of Toriel loving jokes. It seemed oddly…sweet to hear, really.

"Needless to say, this woman was extremely good," Sans went on. "We kept telling each other jokes for hours. Eventually, I had to leave. Papyrus gets kind of cranky without his bedtime story, after all…but she told me to come by again, and so I did. Then I did again, and again. It's a thing now, telling each other bad jokes through the door."

Sans paused. "…one day, though, I noticed she wasn't laughing very much. I asked her what was up. Then she told me something strange. 'If a human ever comes through this door…could you please, please promise me something? Watch over them, and protect them, will you not?' Now…I hate making promises…and this woman, I don't even know her name, but…someone who sincerely likes bad jokes has a kind of integrity you can't just ignore."

There was a moment of silence, perhaps to let the words sink in. Gaignun pitied Toriel; she mentioned that there had been other children prior to their group falling down, and Undyne said they had six human souls...Toriel lost six children. He couldn't begin to imagine how painful it must have been for her to realize that those kids were never returning to the ruins.

"Do you guys get what I'm saying?" Sans asked, closing his eyes. "That promise I made to her…you know what would have happened if she didn't say anything?"

"N-No?" Shulk responded, breath audibly catching in his throat.

Sans opened his eyes, and a chill filled the room. His eyes were pitch black now, the grin still on his face.

" **You would be dead were you stand.** "

Immediately, KOS-MOS, Ziggy, Dunban, Rico, Jin, and Riki stood in front of the rest of the party, weapons drawn and trained on Sans. Sans didn't move for a few moments, until he blinked once and the points of light returned to his eyes.

"Just kidding."

"Kidding my _ass!_ " Bart shouted. "You've done a horrible joke of protecting us! We've nearly died to Undyne, that mad dummy fired missiles at us, Muffet wanted to sell our souls off to Mettaton…!"

"Bart, calm down, this really isn't the time or place…" Fei ordered.

"He has a point!" Jr piped up. "How many times could we have died?! You only promised her you wouldn't kill us!"

"Jr, don't…!" Gaignun began.

"Nah, it's alright. Kid has a point, to give him credit," Sans assured. "Granted…I don't know if that promise applies to a group of humans, and adult humans at that. Undyne would have had my skull if I protected you guys before you befriended her, never mind that Muffet gal. So…I guess consider this my apology for not really protecting you all."

"…we accept your apology," Shion decided. "We…We can't fault you for not wanting to protect us, we know we're not really wanted down here."

"Anyways…I probably should head on over back to Snowdin. Papyrus is going to be wondering where I am. Good luck," Sans decided before leaving the party be in the restaurant, silence falling between everyone.


	16. Hotland and Core: Gaignun part 5

The party sat in the restaurant for what felt like an hour to Gaignun. Jr and Bart didn't accept Sans' apology readily, the two still fuming about Sans not even bothering to help them.

"He might as well have promised Toriel that he wasn't going to kill us! Does he realize how much we've gone through since leaving the ruins?!" Jr ranted.

"Even if Toriel just wanted to scare us away from the exit, and Papyrus was just trying to capture us, Undyne could have killed us! Muffet wanted our souls for Mettaton! Hell, don't even get me started on Mettaton in general…!" Bart complained.

"He had a point, though!" Fei pointed out. "We're humans, and the monsters fought a war with them a long time ago, Sans had every right to keep his distance…"

"Jr, Bart, please calm down. I'm upset about finding this out too, but we really can't do much about it," MOMO reminded. "Besides…once we get past Mettaton, we'll be just one step closer to going home."

Jr's anger seemed to vanish in a moment, and he reluctantly nodded. "…alright. Sorry, MOMO, I just…he made a promise, and he didn't do anything to keep it! That just gets on my nerves!"

"I know this might not be the best time for it, but I think we should call Papyrus and Undyne," Shion suggested. "We don't know what will happen from this point on, anyways…"

"Sure. Why not," Bart responded, still looking tense. Gaignun took out the phone and dialed Papyrus' number.

"Hello, Papyrus speaking! Is this the humans?" Papyrus asked.

"It is," Gaignun answered. "We're at MTT Resort right now."

"Undyne here! You're already at MTT Resort? That means you're not far from the Core…and the capital…" Undyne realized.

"Yeah. Did you find anything about any teleportation spells?" Shion asked.

"Unfortunately, I didn't. I was about to ask Gerson, he runs a shop in Waterfall, but…by the time I do, you guys might already be heading to the capital…" Undyne responded. "Sorry. I have no idea if phones even work in the Core, I've only been up there a few times…"

"You've done what you could. We couldn't ask for more, really," Gaignun assured. "So this might be the last time we talk…?"

"Unfortunately," Undyne said. "It felt like we just got to meet each other, too…Pap and I will be rooting for you guys, okay? Don't let that hunk of metal win when you guys refused to let me capture your souls!"

"We won't!" Shulk assured. "I won't let him harm us!"

"Yeah! I don't want you guys being sad before your showdown with him! And even if this is the last time we talk…I'm sure we'll meet again!" Undyne declared. "So dry any tears you have and show Mettaton what you're made of!"

"Right! This isn't good bye!" Shion agreed. "We'll see each other again!"

"Humans, take care of yourselves!" Papyrus chimed in. "Sans, Undyne, and I will all be cheering you on! We're sure you'll be able to get home! Though…I admit I will miss you, it will be lonely without hearing of your escapades through the underground…"

"We'll try to come back one day, Papyrus, don't worry!" MOMO assured. "I hope we can see you again soon!"

"Thank you, human! We should let you get going now, I'm sure you're all ready to go and fight Mettaton. Best of luck, nyeh heh heh!" Papyrus responded before hanging up.

The brief energy felt in the room seemed to vanish when Papyrus hung up. Shulk and Shion's pep vanished, shoulders sagging.

"…that's…easier said than done, as much as I hate to say it. We don't know where we are, or even if we could get home…" Shion mumbled.

"We don't even know whose world this is," Ziggy added. "Even if it is Lost Jerusalem…some of us still need to get home."

"We possibly couldn't even get off this planet if we tried. We don't know who sent us here, we have no ships, no way to contact the Federation or anyone from the Kukai Foundation, we…we don't even know if this is a planet in any known system!" Jr realized. "We're screwed if this isn't our world and this doesn't have any Federation outposts…"

"…we're in no better condition," Fei admitted. "We're not capable of going to these other planets in our world. The most we can hope for is some spell that sends us home somehow, really."

"We're in the same boat," Dunban sadly said, looking downcast. "The Bionis might be in danger as we speak…in fact, we don't even know how long it's been since we were gone. There's nothing to tell what time it is, or if the passage of time is different from one world to another. For all we know, the Mechon have…have possibly…"

Shulk's group seemed to freeze at that. "Dunban, don't say that!" Reyn responded, raising his voice. "There's no way I'm letting the Mechonis take advantage of us being away! There's…There's no…"

"Riki refuse to let Bionis fall!" Riki shouted. "Riki will protect all of Bionis!"

"We've given up so much and lost enough people as is! Dunban, you can't seriously be suggesting that the Mechon have won!" Sharla reminded.

"We don't know what could have happened since we were sent here, I…I don't want to suggest that, but…" Dunban responded.

An air of despair seemed to form around Shulk's group before Gaignun cleared his throat. "If any of you are unable to return home, and this turns out to be a planet in our world that has a way for us to return home…I'm more than happy to welcome you all to the Kukai Foundation."

Shulk raised his eyebrows. "Gaignun…?"

"I know it's not a substitute for your homes, and I don't expect it to be seen that way, but…"

Gaignun hesitated, glancing over at Jr for a moment. Jr had an unreadable look in his eyes as Gaignun went on. "I know what it's like to be unable to go home for one reason or another. I will have to ask you all to work for the Foundation as a result, but…I would rather not let any of you stay homeless if you can't go home. And yes, the offer goes both towards the people who came with Shulk and to the people who came with Fei."

The two groups stared at Gaignun for several moments in silence, perhaps unable to figure out a proper response at first.

"…Gaignun, you…you're too kind," Fei finally responded. "We couldn't…I couldn't take you up on that offer, that's…"

"We don't know if we'd even survive," Fiora pointed out. "Homs require ether to live, and either there's somehow enough ether down here for us to live, or we're just extraordinarily lucky at somehow not dying."

"I'm not sure if it's right for us to even agree to that, we've only known each other for a short while," Elly added. "Would you be willing to at least give us some time to think about it?"

Gaignun nodded. "Of course. Take all the time you need."

"Thank you. I…I suppose we won't know what to do until we get going, huh?" Shulk guessed.

"Nope. C'mon, let's get going to Mettaton!" Jr prompted.

The lobby of MTT Resort was crowded with monsters of all kinds, some Gaignun recognized from one of the books he read in Toriel's house, some he didn't. The lobby was colored a pale yellow, a large fountain standing in the center. The fountain held a statue of Mettaton in the center of it. There was an exit to the north leading to, presumably, the Core.

"The lobby's packed…the monsters are going to panic if they notice us…" Elly noted.

"We have _no_ way to get out of here but to head north, we're going to have to just run to the Core and hope for the best!" Reyn pointed out.

"He has a point. On the count of three, we make a run for the Core," Citan decided. Everyone braced themselves to start running.

"One…two…three!"

The party took off like rockets toward the northern exit, monsters gasping and screaming as they did so.

"The humans got as far as MTT Resort?!"

"Oh my goodness, humans!"

"We're not safe anywhere in the underground!"

"King Asgore will stop them if Mettaton doesn't!"

The party came to a halt in the middle of a bridge leading towards an entryway into a large hunk of metal, the entryway to the Core giving off a blue glow. A pair of shadowy figures made their way into the Core ahead of them just as Alphys called.

"Huh? Who are they? N-Nobody else is supposed to be here…oh well! We can't worry about that now!" Alphys declared before hanging up. The party reluctantly proceeded into the Core, staying single file on the bridge. The main room had two hallways and an elevator.

Alphys called again. "This is it! Take the elevator up to the top of the Core!" she encouraged. Gaignun tried to open the elevator, but it did not open.

"It's not working, Dr. Alphys!" Elly reported. "What do we do?"

"What? The elevator should be working…w-well, then! Go to the right and keep heading up!" Alphys suggested.

Jr dashed to the right hall and peered into it. "…it's no good! The floor's completely collapsed that way!"

"That pit isn't on my map…f-forget it! Let's try the left side!" Alphys prompted. The party headed through the left hall, keeping wary eyes all around them.

"Okay, you should be able to make it through here…" Alphys began before a shadowy figure approached the humans. It seemed to be some sort of humanoid monster, wearing a curly hat, some sort of robe, boots, and two orbs of magic hovering near it.

"W-Watch out! That's a Madjick!" Alphys warned. The Madjick murmured some strange incantation before firing off a bolt of magic at the party. People ducked, ran away, or pulled others out of the way in time.

"Dr. Alphys, could you tell me more about Madjicks?" Melia asked.

"W-Well, uh…they're very interested in magic, if I remember right? If you show them proof you're a 'fellow wizard', they might let you pass," Alphys answered. Melia stepped forward, taking out her staff and shutting her eyes. In a few seconds, a small gust of wind appeared for the Madjick to look at. They seemed impressed with Melia's magic, and decided to step aside.

"That was easy enough!" Melia declared, looking proud of herself as she let the gust of wind dissipate and put away her staff.

"Thank goodness you got them to step aside…b-but why are there monsters here?" Alphys wondered. "I mean…it's no problem, r-right? W-We've just got to keep moving forward!"

"Can you stay with us on the line, Dr. Alphys? We need a guide to help us out here," Jin asked.

"I-I'm…sure! I can do that! Tell me if there's anything you need help with!" Alphys answered.

The next room held a switch in front of an electric barrier, with several small orbs hanging above the party. Fiora cautiously approached the switch.

"Looks like you can't proceed until you hit the switch," Alphys noted. "B-But, those lasers will activate when you do…um, I think the order they'll come in is orange, orange, blue. Move until the third laser!"

"Noted!" Fiora responded before hitting the switch. The order was reversed, which the party realized a few seconds too late. Jr and MOMO yelped in pain as the lasers hit seemed to burn them, and Jin and Billy quickly hurried to their aid.

"The wounds aren't too bad," Jin assured as he looked them over, "but better safe than sorry. I'll heal you two up quickly."

"O-Oh my god, are you guys hurt?" Alphys realized, horrified. "I…I'm so sorry, I-I gave you the wrong order…"

"D-Dr. Alphys, it's alright!" MOMO assured. "It wasn't too bad."

"Still! Everything's going to be fine, okay? L-Let's just keep heading to the right!" Alphys prompted, voice shaking. The party hurried forward, coming to a stop at a branching path. One hall led north, the other led to the right.

"A crossroads…uhh, tr-try heading to the right!" Alphys suggested. Everyone followed Alphys' instructions, only for her to quickly say, "No, wait! No, I-I think you should head north!"

The party chaned directions, heading into the northern hall. What was greeting them was another monster, standing about as tall as Ziggy did and covered in armor, a morning-star in their hands. It stepped forward and swung the morning-star at the party, everyone ducking or backing away.

"That's a Knight Knight! Her weapon is the Good Morning-star…she uh…just get her to fall asleep somehow and get out of there!" Alphys explained.

"Fall asleep? I can do that!" Melia declared, taking out her staff again. She raised her staff and shouted, "Hypnotize!"

Within moments, Knight Knight was suddenly stumbling back and leaning against the far wall, eyes closing as she fell asleep.

"Nicely done, Melia!" Fiora praised as Melia put her staff away.

"Sorry, I…I thought that…let's try the right path instead!" Alphys prompted. The party returned to the crossroads and headed to the right.

A large swath of blue lasers blocked the way up ahead. Gaignun grimaced at seeing the number of lasers; there were far too many for his liking…

"M-More lasers…okay, I won't mess around this time! I'll just deactivate the lasers and let you guys through!" Alphys declared.

A few moments of silence followed, and Gaignun prompted, "Dr. Alphys?"

"They're…They're not turning off!" Alphys realized.

"Can you at least disrupt power long enough for us to get through?" Shion asked.

"Y-Yeah, I can do that! Let me just…"

The power started to flicker, and the lasers disappeared for a few seconds before swiftly returning. Alphys gave a worried noise.

"I can only disrupt the power for a few seconds at a time! You guys will have to be really careful here!"

"Thank you, Dr. Alphys!" Elly thanked before the party slowly started maneuvering through the lasers. It was slow and unbearable, and Gaignun was worried at some point someone might hurt themselves getting through the lasers, but everyone eventually made it out onto the other side of the room alright.

"G-Good job!" Alphys praised. "E-Everything's under control!"

Up north was another crossroads, and a glowing point. Gaignun brushed past it–

 _Don't you have something better to do than try to get me to say something, Nigredo?_

Well…technically yes, but Gaignun couldn't deny there was a slight pleasure in prompting Yuriev to come up with something to say like that.

"O-Okay, you should…uh…I don't know? This doesn't look like my map at all…I'm sorry, I…I have to go!" Alphys apologized before hanging up.

"Mettaton's probably screwing with us," Bart guessed. "Can't blame Alphys for trying…"

The group headed west, seeing an electrical barrier of sorts blocking the way. KOS-MOS stepped forward. "Shion, I advise that you and the others step aside."

"Okay…?"

The rest of the group took several steps back before KOS-MOS took out a pistol from a holster on her side and fired at the barrier's edges. The barrier fizzled out, allowing the group to proceed.

"Nice job, KOS-MOS!" Shion praised, KOS-MOS placing the pistol back in its holster. There was a room to the north, an elevator, and another glowing point. Gaignun chose to go near that point and touch it, prompting an exasperated sigh from Yuriev.

"We're almost there…I swear, I won't let Mettaton kill us," Shulk vowed, sounding far too serious for Gaignun's liking.

"Take it easy, Shulk," Reyn reminded. "We're not here to fight. We'll just find a way to disable him and get out of here."

Shulk slowly nodded as they entered the room. Mettaton stood at the far end of a large platform, the room surprisingly tall.

"Oh yes, there you are, darlings," Mettaton greeted. "It's time to have our little showdown. It's time to finally stop the 'malfunctioning' robot."

Why did Mettaton put air-quotes around malfunctioning? Unless…

"…not! Malfunction? Reprogramming? Get real," Mettaton said. "This was all just a big show. An act. Alphys has been playing you all for fools the whole time. As she watched you on the screen, she grew attached to your adventure. She desperately wanted to be a part of it. So she decided to insert herself into your stories."

"She what? She…She didn't have to do that…" Jr began.

"She reactivated puzzles. She disabled elevators. She enlisted me to torment you," Mettaton explained. "All so she could save you from dangers that didn't exist. All so you would think she's the great person that she's not. And now, it's time for her finest hour. At this very moment, Alphys is waiting outside the room. During our 'battle', she will interrupt. She will pretend to 'deactivate' me, 'saving' you one final time. Finally, she'll be the heroine of your adventure."

Mettaton gave a small chuckle. "You'll all regard her so highly, she'll even be able to convince you not to leave…or not. You see, I've had enough of this predictable charade. I have no desire to harm humans, far from it actually. My only desire is to entertain. After all, the audience deserves a good show, don't they? And what's a good show without a plot twist?"

The doors sealed behind Mettaton and the party, and Alphys banged on the door.

"H-Hey! Wh-What's going on?!" she shouted, voice muffled. "Th-The door just locked itself!"

Spotlights shone all around the platform, one trained on Mettaton as he whipped out a microphone. "Sorry, folks! The old program's been canceled! But we've got a finale that will drive you wild!"

The platform started soaring up into the sky, Gaignun trying to keep his balance as the platform ascended. "Real drama! _Real action! **Real bloodshed!**_ On our new show…'Attack of the Killer Robot!'"

 _It seems he's finally getting serious._

"Yes, I was the one who rearranged the Core! I was the one who hired everyone to kill you! That, however, was a short-sighted plan," Mettaton admitted. "You know what would be a hundred times better? Killing you myself!"

The phone transformed into a gun again, and Gaignun handed the gun for Jr to fire at Mettaton. However…the bullets didn't seem to do anything to him.

"That worthless pea-shooter won't work on me, darlings," Mettaton chided, wagging a finger. "Don't you understand what acting is?!"

"Your acting was pretty crappy!" Jr grumbled.

"Listen, darlings, I've seen you fight. You're not fighting at full strength, are you? If you continue forward like that, Asgore will take your souls. In fact, with just one of those souls, he will destroy humanity. But if I get your souls, I can stop Asgore's plan! I can save humanity from destruction!" Mettaton declared.

"You won't even get the chance!" Shulk retorted, reaching up to grab the Monado.

"Then, using your souls, I'll cross through the barrier…and become the star I've always dreamed of being!" Mettaton proclaimed. "Hundreds, thousands…no, _millions_ of humans will watch me! Glitz, glamour, I'll finally have it all! So what if a few people have to die? That's show business, baby!"

The phone returned to its normal shape, Alphys calling. "U-Uh, I can't see what's going on, but…d-don't give up, okay?! Th-There's one last way to beat Mettaton…it's, uh…look, it's a work in progress, so don't judge it too hard, but you know how Mettaton always faces forward? There's a switch on his backside! I-If you can turn him around and flip the switch, he'll…he'll be vunerable!"

"Got it, thank you Dr. Alphys!" chaos thanked.

"How are we going to get him to turn around…" Dunban wondered.

"Hey! Mettaton! There's a mirror behind you!" Bart called.

"Ooh, really? Where?" Mettaton wondered, turning arond. Gaignun quickly darted forward and flipped the switch. Mettaton ceased moving, dropping the microphone.

"…did you. Just flip. My switch?"

Mettaton's face started flashing before everything went white, and Gaignun had to cover his eyes.

" _Ohhhhhhhhhhh, **yes~!**_ "

 _…what have you done?_

Gaignun uncovered his eyes to see a humanoid figure standing before them in place of Mettaton's blocky form, fog of some sort obscuring the details.

"Ohhh _my,_ " the figure spoke with Mettaton's voice. "If you flipped my switch, that can only mean one thing. You're desperate for the premiere of my new body. How rude…"

"Ohhhh no, I don't like where this is going…" Fiora murmured.

"Lucky for you, I've been aching to show this off for a long time. So… as thanks, I'll give you a handsome reward. I'll make your last living moments…"

The fog disappeared as spotlights appeared and focused on Mettaton. He had black hair, metallic silver skin, and was pink and black all over. A pink heart floated in some sort of container around his midsection.

" _…absolutely_ **beautiful!** "


	17. Hotland and Core: Gaignun part 6

The platform came to a halt in what seemed to be a large stadium filled with monsters watching the party and Mettaton. Two bright yellow spotlights were trained on Mettaton and the group, music of some sort blaring out of speakers that Gaignun couldn't see. It took him a moment to register that underneath the sound of music were the monsters cheering for Mettaton and hurling jeers at the intruding humans.

"You can do it, Mettaton!"

"Knock 'em dead!"

"They're the enemy of our hopes and dreams!"

 _What are you stalling for, Nigredo? Get rid of that eyesore._

Gaignun chose to ignore Yuriev again, analyzing the situation. There was no visible exit behind Mettaton that he could see, much to his displeasure…

"Mettaton, come on, just let us pass!" Fei protested. "We're not here to fight!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, darling!" Mettaton responded, shaking his head. "I have an audience, and they crave entertainment! Though I am willing to make a deal with you…"

Another spotlight shone its light on a large board on the wall behind Mettaton. It read 'RATINGS', and the number 4,000 hung below it.

"If you can get the ratings up to 10,000, I'll consider letting you go. That is, if you can last long enough against me, darlings!" Mettaton declared. "Though, to be fair to you…"

He snapped his fingers, and the number increased to 4,500. "The audience is probably overjoyed to see me facing off against such a large crowd of humans, so I'll give you a little head-start~"

"Okay…so how are we going to do this, then?" Dunban wondered. "Do any of you humans know how we're going to increase the ratings?"

Shion shook her head. "This isn't something we're used to! How are we going to do this…"

"Shulk? Shulk, snap out of it!" Fiora said, a shocked tone in her voice. There was a look in Shulk's eyes that reminded Gaignun far too much of Yuriev, especially as Shulk reached up to grab the Monado. A jolt of panic ran through Gaignun as his thoughts raced: was Shulk in a similar position as him? Was he also being used as a host for someone?

"You…You _filthy_ Mechon scum!" he spat out in a voice that both felt like his and not…exactly like his. "Pretending to be a Homs… _I'll rend you limb from limb!_ "

"Shulk, _no!_ " Gaignun called out, hurrying forward, along with Ziggy, Rico, Dunban, Reyn, Jin, Shion, and Fei. They managed to grab onto Shulk and hold him back from charging at Mettaton, Fiora gingerly approaching Shulk.

"Shulk, what's gotten into you? Snap out of it, this isn't like you!" Fiora pointed out.

"How dare he look like a Homs?! How dare he do any of this to us?!" Shulk snarled, struggling to escape from the people holding him back.

"Oh, my, beauties and gentlebeauties! It seems the humans are fighting amongst themselves!" Mettaton gasped. "Could this be the end of their friendship?"

" _Shut up!_ " Shulk yelled at Mettaton, glaring fiercely at him.

"Someone get the Monado out of his hands!" chaos suggested. "At the very least, he won't be able to do anything to Mettaton with it!"

"Wait, no, don't touch–" Dunban began, but Gaignun was already working to pry the Monado out of Shulk's hands and backing away as quickly as he could with it. To his curiosity, all of Shulk's party minus Shulk himself stared at him with wide eyes.

" _Drop the Monado!_ " they shouted in unison.

"The Monado's sparking…?" Shion realized, eyes slowly widening as well. Gaignun turned to look at the Monado and saw blue sparks jumping off it.

He remembered a second far too late of Dunban saying the Monado was choosy about its wielder.

Suddenly, the Monado was moving around on its own, swinging every which way, sparks dancing all over Gaignun's body, and everything was just sheer pain. Gaignun heard himself crying out in pain, he couldn't let go of the Monado, he was certain he was going to die, he–

 _Let go, a mortal like you has no right to touch my blade!_

A voice that sounded like Shulk's hissed at him in his head, and Gaignun couldn't respond. He wanted the pain to stop, he couldn't move, he was just in so much pain…

'Nigredo!' Jr called via mental link. The one good thing to come out of Gaignun and Jr being clone children in that moment was the mental link that let them talk telepathically.

'R-Rubedo, help me, I can't let go, everything hurts!' Gaignun begged, silently. The next thing he was aware of was half of the group nearly tackling him to the ground and someone prying the Monado out of his grasp. The pain slowly went away as several people cast healing spells, and he heard the sound of what he assumed was the Monado clattering to the ground.

"…oh…oh my…Gaignun?" Shulk quietly asked, sounding horrified as he darted over to Gaignun. "Are you okay?!"

"I've…I've been better," Gaignun wheezed as Jin and Dunban helped him sit up.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, but…but you shouldn't have touched the Monado like that!" Shulk pointed out. "Reyn held the Monado once before, and it's a miracle he wasn't injured–"

"Would you just show _some_ sympathy for Gaignun?!" Jr interrupted, glaring at Shulk. "Okay, now he knows not to touch the Monado, but you were threatening Mettaton there!"

"W-Well, I…I'm…" Shulk stammered, at a loss for words.

"Oh my, the drama continues among the humans!" Mettaton declared. "That was quite an impressive little show you put on there, but drama can only go so far!"

The ratings had increased to 5,100. Gaignun was torn between feeling bitter that the audience enjoyed his pain and surprised the ratings had gone up by that much.

"Gaignun, it might be best if you stay away from fighting here," Sharla advised. "We're not in a situation where we can check to see just what the Monado might have done to you, and we have no idea what Mettaton's capable of."

Gaignun slowly nodded. "Can…Can anyone stay with me? Just in case Mettaton tries to take advantage of me being unable to fight…"

"I can," Jin volunteered. "Is there anything I need to know about what could have happened to Gaignun?"

"He only had it for a minute, but make sure his arm is working! I don't know what the Monado could have done to him," Sharla advised before the party gathered to face off against Mettaton. Gaignun quickly checked his arm; he felt a tingling feeling in his right arm and hand, but to his relief it soon passed after he balled his hand into a fist and kept it like that for a few moments.

"My arm seems to be fine," Gaignun informed Jin, relieved. "I…I should have listened to what Dunban said, though, I didn't think the Monado would do that."

"It happened, we're best off simply moving forward from that," Jin reminded. "It still would be for the best if you stayed out of the fight, however."

Gaignun didn't argue with Jin on that. It would be for the best if he kept out of the fighting, he would just be a liability against Mettaton. Mettaton was wasting no time in trying to hurt the party, dashing at them and attempting to kick them. The party managed to block the kicks, thankfully.

"I'm the idol that everyone craves!" Mettaton boasted. "Come on now, try to keep up with me!"

"How are we going to get the ratings up? Anyone have any ideas at all?" Shion asked.

"I have an idea, but…ah, well…I'm not sure if it'll work," Shulk admitted.

"Anything will do, honestly!" Jr pointed out.

Shulk sighed, then grabbed the Monado from where it was lying on the floor and brandished it. "This is the Monado's power!"

The ratings started to climb, surprisingly. So taunts and the like seemed to work…? The party started following suit with taunts of their own.

"Now it's Reyn time!"

"Riki is angry!"

"Born in a world of strife, against the odds, we choose to fight!"

"Sayonara, baby!"

The ratings shot up to 6,000, and Mettaton glanced at the ratings board in surprise. "Impressive, darlings! But can you handle this?"

Bombs started raining down from the sky, and the party scrambled to avoid them. Jr and KOS-MOS chose to shoot down the bombs instead, narrowly avoiding the resulting explosions.

"I'm just warming up, darlings! How about a heart-to-heart?" Mettaton questioned. The heart around his abdomen became exposed, and electricity shot out from the heart and danced around the floor. Shulk quickly cast Monado Shield, blocking the electricity attacks.

"Jr! KOS-MOS! Try shooting at the heart! Maybe we can disable him somehow!" Shulk suggested. Jr wasted no time in aiming his guns at Mettaton's heart, firing several times. To everyone's shock, the arms fell off after Jr shot the heart enough times, the container on his abdomen sealing itself back up.

"Ah! Oh, who…who needs arms with legs like these?!" Mettaton shouted. The ratings had gone up to 7,500 now…

"Come on, Mettaton! Is that the best you've got?!" Fiora taunted. The crowd hissed at the party in response, seemingly calling for their demise.

"Oh, please! I'm not going to go down that easily!" Mettaton retorted. More bombs dropped from the ceiling, this time courtesy of what seemed to be mini-Mettaton's falling while holding umbrellas. The party kept dodging or shooting, this time Billy and Sharla joining in on firing at the bombs.

"You haven't even scratched us! Come on, is this the best you can do?" Jr called.

Mettaton grinned and darted forward, swinging one of his legs forward and trying to kick Jr in the gut, only to narrowly miss him and stumble backwards. Mettaton barely managed to stay up right before retreating.

"Come on…! The show must go on…!" he hissed. A disco ball descended from the ceiling, and orange and blue lasers shot out of it, forcing the party to run from the lasers. Ziggy grunted in pain as he ran into a blue laser by accident, and Riki yelped as he was hit by an orange laser. The ratings were climbing up as the party got hurt, Gaignun noticed, and were now at 8,100.

"Nghh…we've grown so distant, darlings. How about another heart-to-heart?" Mettaton questioned before the container on his midsection opened up again, and electricity shot out from his heart again. The group kept running from the electricity, Billy and Jr firing their guns at the heart. This time, Mettaton's upper body slid off his legs, with him toppling to the ground.

"E…Enough of this!" he protested. "Do you really want humanity to perish?! Or…Or do you just believe in yourselves that much?"

"We're not going to let our souls be used by anyone! We just want to go home!" Shulk responded.

"Haha, how inspiring! Well, darlings, it's either me or you!" Mettaton declared. "But I think we both already know who's going to win. Witness the true power of humanity's star!"

A combination of the previous attacks followed, with bombs falling everywhere, the disco ball firing off lasers, and now crates of some sort falling. Gaignun was counting himself lucky he was not embroiled in the fight, he was sure he wouldn't last a second against all that going on. People were shouting, grunting in pain, or just trying to avoid getting hit by the attacks. The ratings were slowly climbing, and Gaignun wondered if maybe they were going to make it.

"We're not going down that easily!" Bart bragged.

"Just one more taunt, and maybe…" Elly began.

Shulk sighed and stepped forward. He gripped the handle of the Monado and pumped one first in the air. "I'm really feeling it!"

The crowd roared at Shulk's taunt, and that gave the ratings the final push it needed to be at 10,000. Jin and Gaignun rejoined the group, relieved the fight seemed to be over.

"Ooh, look at those ratings!" Mettaton gasped. "This is the most viewers I've ever had! We've reached the viewer call-in milestone! One lucky viewer will have the chance to talk to me before I leave the underground forever! Let's see who calls in first!"

A small part of the ground near Mettaton opened up to reveal a robotic hand holding a phone, holding it near Mettaton's head. "Hi, you're on TV! What do you have to say on this, our last show?"

A familiar, quiet voice answered. "…oh…..hi…Mettaton…I really liked watching your show…my life is pretty boring, but…seeing you on the screen…brought excitement to my life…I can't tell, but…I guess this is the last episode…? I'll miss you…Mettaton…oh….I didn't mean to talk so long…oh….."

Mettaton seemed to recognize the voice, his eyes widening. "No, wait! Wait, Bl…they…they already hung up…I-I'll take another call!"

Several more people called in, all of them sounding both happy and yet so sad.

"Mettaton, your show made us so happy!"

"Mettaton, I don't know what I'll watch without you…"

"Mettaton, there's a Mettaton-shaped hole in my Mettaton-shaped heart."

"A-Ah…I see…everyone, thank you so much…" Mettaton thanked, voice starting to waver. He sadly looked up at the humans. "Darlings, perhaps…it might be best if I stay down here for a while. Humans already have stars and idols, but monsters…they only have me. If I left, the underground would lose its spark…I'd leave an aching void that could never be filled. So, I think I'll delay my big debut…besides, you've proven to be holding back for a reason…I wonder if you'll all hold back against Asgore…"

"…we're not here to kill," Shulk quietly mumbled.

"I'm sure you'll all be able to protect humanity. Haha…it's all for the best, anyway. The truth is…this form's energy consumption is…inefficient. In a few moments, I'll run out of battery power, and…well, I'll be alright," Mettaton insisted. "Knock 'em dead, darlings…and thank you all…you've been such a great audience!"

Mettaton shut off, and the platform lowered back to where it was before the fight. Alphys hurried into the room from the door on the opposite side of the room, looking panicky.

"I-I managed to open the lock! Are you guys… _oh my god,_ Mettaton! Mettaton, are you…" she gasped, running over to Mettaton's upper body.

"…i-is he alright, Dr. Alphys?" MOMO asked.

Alphys cringed at being called Doctor. "I-It's just the batteries, it seems…Mettaton, if you were gone, I would have…I…I-I mean, i-it's no problem, you know?" she quickly responded. "He's just a robot, if you messed it up, I…could have always built another…"

She bowed her head, not looking at the humans. "…why don't you guys go on ahead?" she mumbled.

The party slowly walked into the northern door, pausing until Alphys decided to join them.

"S…Sorry about that!" she apologized, sounding like she was struggling to keep it together. "L-Let's k-keep going!"

The party walked on, a few looking sympathetically at Alphys. She and Mettaton had been faking the whole 'killer robot' act, and Shion was one of those not looking at her, but…Gaignun couldn't blame her for wanting a friend, he supposed.

"S-So, you guys are about to meet Asgore, huh? You must be…y-you must be…p-pretty excited about that, huh?" she stammered.

"We…We are…" Billy confirmed.

"Y-You'll finally…f-finally get to go home!" Alphys continued.

"Yeah…we're…we're almost there," Elly agreed.

An elevator waited for them at the end of the hall. Just before they could enter it, Alphys sighed heavily.

"W-Wait…I can't take this anymore. I…I lied to you. A human soul isn't strong enough to pass through the barrier alone. It takes at least a human soul and a monster soul," she admitted, turning away and shoulders sagging. "If you want to go home…you'll have to take his soul."

"But we're…we're going together!" Shion protested. "We…We have to be strong enough to pass through the barrier, or maybe even destroy it! Doctor…"

"…I don't know what effect you guys could have on the barrier. There's…There's never been a large group of humans down here, especially not adult humans…there's just no way for us to tell if you guys will even be able to have an effect on the barrier," Alphys admitted.

She began walking away, pausing for a brief moment. "…I'm sorry."

"Dr. Alphys, wait!" Shulk called, but that simply prompted Alphys to run down the hall, away from the group.

"…a human soul…and a monster soul. We…We can't kill anyone here, that's just…" Jin began.

"What do we do, then? Maybe we can try to pass the barrier together? Hell, what if we need one monster soul for every human soul?" Jr wondered.

"There has to be something else we can do. Maybe we'll figure something out on the way to King Asgore…?" Citan wondered.

The party fell quiet, filing into the elevator before it started moving up. For better or for worse…they were on their way to meet with the king.


	18. New Home: Shion part 1

Shion leaned against the wall of the elevator as it steadily moved up toward what she assumed was the capital. There was no chatter to distract anyone from their thoughts, everyone perhaps too tired from fighting Mettaton. Gaignun and Jin seemed in slightly better shape, given they stayed out of the fight, but…Shion just wanted to go home already. She wanted to just get to Second Miltia with KOS-MOS and the others, and hopefully that would be that, right?

"Do you think we might get attacked by an angry mob or something for running down Mettaton's batteries?" Fiora wondered aloud.

"I doubt it, it's not like we killed him," Elly answered, shaking her head. "But…we have hardly seen monsters during our adventure, save for a few people. What are we going to see at the capital…?"

Shion noticed Emeralda reaching out and holding Fei's hand, looking up at him. She scanned the small room for a moment and saw MOMO holding Ziggy's hand as well, almost identical with how Emeralda was doing it. Shion couldn't help but wonder if Emeralda wanted to be close to Fei like MOMO was with Ziggy. It was rather sweet to see all the same. Sharla was checking over Gaignun's arm, still worried about him after he had grabbed the Monado during the showdown with Mettaton.

"Your arm seems okay, but…please don't do that again, Gaignun, if you can help it," Sharla advised.

"I'll try not to," Gaignun answered, eyes glancing at Shulk for a brief moment before looking away.

The elevator slowed to a stop, and opened up to a surprisingly gray city. Everything around the party was just… _gray,_ save for a small glowing point near the elevator. Shion brushed past it as the party exited the elevator–

 _You're almost there…stay determined._

If Shion glanced to her left, she could see a huge city, filled with many, many gray buildings. Shulk and Fei's groups had to stop once or twice to look out at the city, eyes wide in fascination.

"This place reminds me of home," Elly quietly admitted.

"I'm reminded of Alcamoth…" Melia murmured, eyes starting to water. "The High Entia…are they…are they okay…?"

"I'm sure they are, Melia," Fiora assured, gently resting a hand on Melia's shoulder. "We'll be home soon before you know it."

Melia sadly nodded, wiping away the tears threatening to form, and the party kept walking forward, though at a slow pace. Shion decided to stay close to KOS-MOS, uncertain of what they might find.

The path gradually led north, and Shion felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as she spotted something…familiar up ahead. Everyone almost tumbled to a halt when they all could see what it was: minus the tree that they had seen…it was almost an exact copy of Toriel's home from the ruins, the colors washed out. No one spoke for a few moments, more than a few jaws dropping and a few people gasping gently.

"…this is…that's…why is this here?" Jr stammered, looking up at Gaignun and back at the house.

"…I don't know. I…I don't know," Gaignun responded, sounding equally confused.

"…I suppose we won't know until we go inside," Citan murmured. "Come on, let's get a move on."

Everyone shuffled into the house, and Shion…couldn't describe how she felt. She felt as though she had returned home, and yet she felt like maybe she shouldn't be here? The inside was almost exactly like the inside of Toriel's house too, though grayed out as well, and felt almost…lonely. The only splashes of color were yellow flowers in vases, and that brought to mind unpleasant memories of Flowey.

…come to think of it, they hadn't seen Flowey ever since they left the ruins, and the last time they heard from him was in Waterfall…what was he planning?

Shion shook her head a little and noticed a chain barred the way downstairs, a note on it. She walked up to it and read it aloud.

"Let's see…'Howdy! If you need me, I'll be in the garden! The keys are in the bedroom hall and kitchen! -Asgore.'"

"Well, let's–ah!" Elly began, starting to turn towards the left hall when she noticed a pair of…Froggits. Shion wasn't sure why the name came to mind, but that was closest to what she was getting for a name. They stared up at the humans, equal parts frightened and determined.

"…we would like to tell you a story, humans," one of them croaked.

"Ah…could you please tell us as we walk?" Maria asked. The Froggits nodded as the party started looking for the keys.

"A long time ago, a human fell into the ruins."

"Injured by its fall, the human called for help."

The sight of the living room, clean of anything that would indicate someone was here, made Shion's heart hurt. It didn't feel like that long ago they were at Toriel's home, waiting for the younger members of the party to wake up, passing time by reading by the fireplace…

The kitchen was almost equally spotless. There was a pale green key lying on the counter, and what seemed to be pie recipes lying in the garbage. Reyn silently took the key, and everyone began walking toward the bedroom hall. A pair of Whimsuns–why were these names jumping into her head?–joined the Froggits hopping after them. Their voices were surprisingly faint, as though the slightest breeze could easily blow them away.

"Asriel, the king's son, heard the human's call."

"He brought the human back to the castle."

Shion couldn't help but peek into the first bedroom on the left. It was similar to the bedroom at Toriel's home, but there were two beds instead of one. There were toys covered in dust at the foot of one bed, and on the other lied a heart-shaped locket and a worn dagger. Shion's stomach twisted itself into knots, and she couldn't understand why. She chose to take a look at the locket and dagger, curious.

The locket was red with a gold edge, inscribed with the words 'Best Friends Forever.' Part of her wanted to pick it up and take it with her, but…this didn't belong to her. She didn't have the right to take items from here.

The worn dagger was a faded red, and some part of Shion could only wonder what use anyone would have for a dagger like this.

 _Perfect for cutting weeds and vines._

The voice in her head sounded surprisingly…bitter? Sad? Some negative emotion that made Shion wince and exit the room quickly. The next room had a sign that read 'Under Renovations', and the last door was unlocked, but no one entered the room. The second key was lying on an end table, and Reyn grabbed that key. Three Moldsmals started following the group as well.

"Over time, Asriel and the human became like siblings."

"The King and Queen treated the human as their own."

"The underground was full of hope."

Shion caught her reflection in a mirror, and grimaced for a few seconds. She seemed exhausted, worn out from the struggles they had gone through, but she wasn't quitting yet. She was almost home.

 _Despite everything, it's still you._

The humans returned to the stairs and unlocked the chain, setting it and the note off to the side before walking down the steps. Two Migosps joined the monsters following them as they walked down the hall.

"Then, one day…"

"The human became very ill."

"…oh, please no," Billy murmured, lowering his head. The hall felt even longer than the one from the ruins…three Vegetoids joined in.

"The human had only one request."

"To see the flowers from his village once more."

"But there was nothing we could do."

Shion braced herself for something she had a strong feeling was about to happen next as two Looxes popped up.

"The next day."

"The next day."

"The human died," Jin finished, expression and voice unreadable. The Looxes sadly nodded as two Snowdrakes joined in.

"Asriel, wracked with grief, absorbed the human's soul."

"He transformed into a being with incredible power."

Shion thought back to Waterfall, the mentions of monsters being able to absorb a human's soul. The worst she could imagine was something on the level of Gnosis, but…three Icecaps quietly joined the growing parade of monsters.

"With the human soul, Asriel crossed through the barrier."

"He carried the human's body into the sunset."

"Back to the village of the humans."

Part of Shion didn't want to hear the story any longer. She had a feeling she knew where this was headed. A trio of Woshuas started walking with them.

"Asriel reached the center of the village."

"There, he found a bed of golden flowers."

"He carried the human onto it."

The castle's courtyard and the garden seemed to be getting closer as Shion's friends continued to walk. Three Shyrens joined the party of monsters.

"Suddenly, screams rang out."

"The villagers saw Asriel holding the human's body."

"They thought he had killed the child."

 _Please don't go on,_ the voice in Shion's head begged as they passed three Dummies.

"The humans attacked him with everything they had."

"He was struck with blow after blow."

"Asriel had the power to destroy them all."

"…he didn't attack back, did he?" Bart guessed, frowning deeply. A Knight Knight and a Madjick started following the party as well.

"But…Asriel did not fight back."

"Clutching the human…Asriel smiled and walked away."

Some of the monsters that had been following the group started to leave as a trio of different-looking Froggits hopped towards the group.

"Wounded, Asriel stumbled home."

"He entered the castle and collapsed."

"His dust spread across the garden."

"Oh, Asriel…" Elly murmured. Why did Shion's heart feel like it was going to break? She didn't even know Asriel or the human…heck, if this was Lost Jerusalem as they suspected, she…she hadn't even been here before, had she?

Three Whimsalots fluttered near the party.

"The kingdom fell into despair."

"The king and queen had lost two children in one night."

"The humans had once again taken _everything_ from us."

The parade of monsters following them had mostly dispersed by the time three Astigmatisms walked forward.

"The king decided it was time to end our suffering."

"Every human who falls down here **must** die."

"With enough souls, we can shatter the barrier forever."

The garden wasn't far now, Shion realized.

"It's not long now," a Loox declared. "King Asgore will give us hope."

"King Asgore will let us go," a Moldsmal murmured.

"King Asgore will save us all," a Migosp added.

"You should be smiling, too," a Pyrope suggested.

"Aren't you excited?" a Vulkin asked.

"Aren't you happy?" another Vulkin questioned.

The monsters following Shion's group were gone. One last Froggit stood before them.

"You're going to be free."

The Froggit quietly hopped away, leaving the party to come to a halt. Shion's shoulders were shaking, and she was forcing herself to take deep breaths.

"Shion, are you feeling well?" KOS-MOS asked, looking at her.

"N…No, I'm not, KOS-MOS," Shion admitted. "I'm sorry, I feel…I feel ill."

Jin, Sharla, Billy, MOMO, Riki, and Chu-Chu approached Shion, all of them worried. "Do you need our help, Shion?" MOMO offered.

"Riki here for Shion," Riki reminded, gently. Shion hesitated for a few seconds before gently picking Riki up.

"…please stay with me for now, Riki."

"Riki can do that!" Riki responded, cheerfully, and the party walked on. The next room was a long, golden hall, pillars lining the hall and light streaming in from a stained glass window, that sign from the ruins door on the window. Everyone was partially shrouded in shadow, partially covered in golden light…and speaking of light, there was another glowing point nearby. Shion brushed past it, surprised when she didn't hear anything about staying determined or some comment about the place around her. Nonetheless, she kept walking with the party, everyone suddenly stumbling to a halt when Sans appeared in front of them. The sound of bells ringing could be heard in the distance…

"Sans?" Fei asked, curious.

"So you finally made it," Sans began, his voice oddly serious, eyes shut. "In a few moments, you will meet the king. Together…you will determine the future of this world. That's then. Now."

Sans paused to clear his throat. "You will be judged," he declared. "You will be judged for your every action. You will be judged for every EXP you've earned."

"EXP?" Chu-Chu repeated, tilting her head.

"It's an acronym," Sans clarified. "It stands for ' **execution points.** ' A way of quantifying the pain you have inflicted on others. When you kill someone, your EXP increases. When you have enough EXP, your LOVE increases. LOVE, too, is an acronym. It stands for ' **Level of Violence.** ' A way of measuring someone's capacity to hurt. The more you kill, the easier it becomes to distance yourself. The more you distance yourself, the less you will hurt. The more easily you can bring yourself to hurt others."

Shion found herself shuddering. Flowey mentioned LOVE…

Sans opened his eyes, and looked up at the party. "…you know, I'm not sure how to react to what I'm getting here. All of you guys…you've been holding back the entire time you've been down here. All of you…I can tell you're incredibly strong, but…what you have isn't LOVE. Maybe it's better to say it's just plain 'levels'."

He paused, perhaps expecting someone to say something, but no one did. "…you didn't encounter that many monsters on your way here, but even when you did, you chose to put away your weapons and simply find a way to let them go with no one getting hurt. Gotta give you guys credit for that, at least. I don't know if I can judge you accurately, honestly, because your LV…no, your levels…they didn't come from down here. They didn't come from this world, maybe…"

"We didn't want to hurt anyone," MOMO spoke up. "We just want to go home."

"And I understand that," Sans replied, nodding slowly. "But…well, now you're about to face the biggest challenge of your journeys down here. Your actions here will determine the fate of this world. If you all refuse to fight, Asgore will take your souls and destroy humanity. If you kill Asgore and go home…monsters will remain trapped underground. What will you do?"

"We'll find another way. The future is ours to decide," Shulk insisted. "No one is going to die today if we can help it!"

"Heh. If I were you guys, I'd have thrown in the towel by now. But none of you got this far by giving up, did you?" Sans guessed. "That's right…you all have something called 'determination.' So long as you hold on…so long as you do what's right in your hearts…I believe you guys can do the right thing."

"…thank you, Sans," Ziggy quietly thanked.

"Alright…we're all counting on you. Good luck."

In the blink of an eye, Sans was gone as quickly as he appeared, leaving the party standing alone in the hall. No one moved right away.

"…levels, huh? And…we're almost at Asgore's garden…" Fiora began, breaking the silence.

"…there…there has to be something we can do to help the monsters, I'm not going to kill the king," Gaignun stated, shaking his head. "They've suffered enough, what good is us fighting the king going to do?"

"I agree," Rico said, nodding. "We've come this far without hurting anyone…there has to be another way out of this."

"Maybe if we can convince the king there's something we can do, he won't hurt us? Shulk, do you think that maybe the Monado could do something to the barrier?" Jr suggested.

"Not that I know," Shulk admitted. "I don't know just what the Monado could do to this barrier, honestly."

"Maybe we can just…talk with him?" Reyn weakly suggested.

The group quietly shuffled forward when it became apparent there was no clear idea they could think of to possibly convince Asgore it was better if they didn't fight. Up ahead, the path branched off toward a room to the north, and a room to the south that Shion felt oddly repulsed by.

 _Don't go near that place._

Shion took that to mean 'the king isn't that way', and headed toward the north. The party came upon a sweet-smelling garden covered in golden flowers, a figure draped in purple in front of them. Light shone into the room from stained glass windows depicting that same symbol they saw in the hall way, though they looked old and faded…it took Shion a few moments to realize there was also the sound of birdsong filling the room besides the figure's soft humming, and the thought of bothering them made Shion hesitate.

"…K…King Asgore?"

"Hm? Ah, what is it?" Asgore asked, turning around, a watering can in his hands. His eyes widened, and the peaceful look on his face turned into a horrified one, mouth dropping open in a gasp as he lost his grip on his watering can.

The party was equally surprised. He looked to be the same species as Toriel was, though with large horns and a blonde beard and mustache. He stood about as tall as Ziggy did, perhaps even taller…he wore a crown and what seemed to be a large purple cape, enough to shroud his body, with a hint of something gold beneath the cape.

Suddenly, Shion realized just how frightening they must have appeared to monsters, save for Papyrus and Sans. For the most part, they were all adults, and almost all of them were visibly armed. Hell, Gaignun wasn't armed, but Sans didn't make any exceptions about him in his judgement…

Shion's gaze traveled to behind Asgore, seeing something covered in a sheet, and a simple throne. The prince was named Asriel…Asgore…Toriel…

Oh. Ohhhh. Shion think she understood just who the queen was now. Even more so as a familiar orange glow covered Asgore's visible hand. Jin spoke up a second before Shion could, saying, "Asgore…we shouldn't fight here. Not among the flowers."

The glow flickered, then was blown out like a candle as Asgore slowly nodded. A regretful look formed on his face as his gaze traveled over the party, lingering on the kids.

"…it's a beautiful day outside. Birds are singing, flowers are blooming…it's perfect weather for a game of catch," Asgore murmured, slowly turning to look out the window. No one spoke for several minutes, until Asgore finally sighed.

"…you know what we must do. When you are ready…come into the next room," Asgore quietly prompted before walking into the northern hall. A glowing point appeared near the hall, and Shion brushed against it. Again, the voice did not speak.

The next hall was dark, and Shion felt an unearthly power up ahead, enough to make her hesitate following Asgore. He clearly didn't want to do this…

"Ah…please don't be afraid. Think of it…Think of it like a trip to the dentist," he tried to assure before continuing on. The party followed him into a large room, a black and white aura of some sort in front of Asgore.

"…please, if…if you have any unfinished business…feel free to take care of it now," he prompted.

What more could they do? Shion didn't know what they could do for Alphys now, and they already said their good-byes to everyone else…

"…we're ready," Shion quietly spoke up. Asgore took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Seven jars rose up near Asgore, and Shon's heart dropped when she saw what was in the jars. Six human souls, all heart-shaped, all in different colors; orange, yellow, green, light blue, dark blue, and purple. One jar was empty…

"…ready?" Asgore questioned, quietly.

 _A strange light fills the room._

 _Twilight is shining through the barrier._

 _It seems your journey is finally over._

"Humans…it was nice to meet you," Asgore admitted, opening his eyes.

He drew a trident with a flower near the handle, and brushed aside his cape to reveal golden armor. He bowed his head.

"…good-bye."

 _You are filled with…_

 _DETERMINATION._


	19. New Home: Shion part 2

_Asgore blocks the way._

No one in the party moved to attack Asgore, not a single weapon being drawn as they looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Asgore, please, we…we don't want to fight," Shion begged.

"Please just let us pass!" Elly asked of Asgore. "We don't have to fight!"

Asgore simply shook his head, stepping forward and attempting to stab Shion with his trident. Shulk wasted no time in pulling Shion back, drawing the Monado to block the blow.

"Stop it! Please! We don't mean to hurt you!" Shulk shouted.

Asgore seemed to refuse to listen, raising one glowing hand and making a sweeping gesture with it, summoning a row of fire that the party either had to block or duck under to avoid.

"Why isn't he listening?! Everyone else listened eventually when we said we didn't want to fight them!" Jr questioned.

'You insist you're not a killer now, but what will happen if you meet a relentless murderer? You'll just die again, and again, _and again,_ until you finally decide that it has to stop!'

Flowey's words echoed in Shion's mind as though he were right next to her, repeating the words he had told the party before they could leave the ruins. No, she wasn't going to die to Asgore, but…he wasn't a relentless murder! He was trying to help his kingdom, he…he…

 _…he simply thinks you're in his way._

Shion shook her head. "Asgore! Please! We just want to go home!"

Asgore seemed to stiffen up at hearing Shion, but shook his head again and formed a large fireball in his hands before tossing it up high into the air. Just like Toriel's attack, it started raining fire from above, though this rain was much heavier, and felt harder to avoid. Shion felt the flames lick her arm for a moment before she was pulled away again, this time by Reyn.

"He's not listening! We have to fight or run away!" he realized.

"We're not…We have to make peace with him somehow!" Shion insisted. "I'm not going to let anyone die here!"

"That's easier said than done!" Citan reminded. "King Asgore is determined to fight us!"

Shion stubbornly shook her head. "Asgore…please! Please stop this!"

"…please…stop…stop looking at me like that," Asgore quietly responded, his grip on his trident shaking for a few moments.

 _It's kill or be killed._

Shion refused. They had gotten this far without harming anyone, why would they start now by hurting and possibly killing the king of monsters? What point would there be in harming him?

Though everyone was starting to lose hope as Asgore began flinging more and more fire spells at them. The ground beneath Shion started to get warm, and suddenly she and some of the others were scrambling to flee from a wall of fire bursting up from the ground. Just as that wall disappeared, another wall of fire started to rise up from the ground underneath her feet again, and the party ran away just in time.

"…what are you doing? Fight me or leave," Asgore insisted in a voice that sounded like he was trying to come off as cold.

"Do we really have no choice?" Fei wondered, grimacing. "I don't want to fight…"

"…there's no way to end this peacefully," Shulk guessed, slowly drawing the Monado as it activated. The edge of it split apart and revealed a blade made of light blue-colored energy. "…we have to fight."

"Shulk, don't joke around!" Shion snapped, starting to grow frantic. "Please…"

"What are we going to prove by just dodging his attacks and repeating over and over that we're not going to fight?" Shulk questioned, lowering his head. "It's…It's clear now, Asgore wants to fight. If we don't fight back, we're either going to die or remain trapped down here forever, and I'm not leaving the Homs to die at the hands of the Mechon!"

"Shulk…" Riki began, squirming out of Shion's arms and sadly looking up at him. "Riki want to go home too, but…"

"Riki, he has a point," Reyn pointed out. "People are waiting for us at home, and what will they do if we die to Asgore? You have Oka and your littlepon, for crying out loud…!"

"Riki just don't want to fight! King Asgore lost family!" Riki protested. "Hom-Hom friends lost family and friends! Heropons don't hurt others!"

The argument was interrupted by Asore attempting to pierce someone with the trident again, dashing forward toward Gaignun. Jr darted in front of Gaignun, perhaps hoping that Asgore would stop in his tracks before he could harm Gaignun. Asgore slowed down for barely a second, continuing to run forward.

"Run!" MOMO shouted, horrified. Gaignun grabbed Jr and yanked him away just in time away from Asgore's trident. Asgore grunted in response to them narrowly avoiding the attack.

"King Asgore, please, can't we talk?" Gaignun questioned, looking at Asgore with sad eyes. "Or is there truly no hope of talking peace with you?"

"…we have no choice," Citan observed, the slightest bit of a resigned tone in his voice. "We have to fight or run away."

Fei's party slowly drew their weapons, Fei reluctantly getting into a fighting stance. Shion and Fiora shared unhappy looks before they got out their weapons, the rest of their parties following suit. Gaignun backed away from everyone, not wanting to get caught up in the crossfire.

"…I'm sorry, Asgore," Shion apologized. She dashed forward, attempting to bash Asgore with her shield. Asgore stopped her in her tracks, trident clashing with her shield. He didn't seem any happier that the humans were finally fighting him…

"Take this!" Melia shouted, raising her staff and flinging a fireball at Asgore. He quickly countered with a fireball of his own, the two exploding into embers upon coming into contact with each other. The two started firing spells at one another, Asgore's fire managing to triumph over nearly any offensive spell she had in her arsenal. He had to step away when she managed to fling an ice spell that extinguished one of his fireballs, the ice spell shattering as it hit the barrier.

"How about this?!" Shulk declared, charging forward and swinging his Monado as Shion stepped back and withdrew her shield. Asgore swung his trident at him, weapons clashing over and over. Shulk gritted his teeth, stepping away when it became clear he was going to match him blow for blow.

"Jr! Billy! Try shooting him!" Citan suggested. The two got out their guns and started firing at Asgore, Asgore grunting in pain as the bullets struck him as he tried to raise his weapon up in an attempt at defending himself. That seemed to do the trick, at least, until Ziggy darted forward and tried to punch Asgore. He met Ziggy's punch with a punch of his own, though he slid back from the force of Ziggy's attack.

"We're not letting you kill us if we can…!" Ziggy declared.

Asgore didn't respond to Ziggy, choosing to step back and try to stab him with his trident. Bart got out a whip and lashed it, grabbing onto the trident and attempting to yank it from Asgore's hands. Asgore's attention was drawn to Bart, and his hands flickered as he started to prepare a fire spell.

"Bart, get out of there!" Dunban shouted as he and Jin drew their blades. Bart complied, dropping his whip and running away from the balls of fire thrown at him. Asgore turned too late to face Jin and Dunban, getting stabbed in the shoulders by their blades.

"Asgore, please, stop this…!" Jin pleaded, looking at Asgore in the eyes. Asgore didn't respond, and Jin and Dunban took out their blades from his shoulders. Without warning, fire burst out from underneath their feet, and Jin and Dunban backed away as though they had been set on fire. A wall of fire forced the party to dash away from Asgore for a few moments, Bart getting his whip untangled from Asgore's trident before hurrying away.

"Asgore…?" Shion began as the fire died down. Asgore slowly walked up to one of the jars holding the human souls, taking out the blue soul.

"…forgive me," Asgore murmured before holding it close to him, absorbing the soul.

"Asgore, no!" Reyn called out before Asgore started glowing. Shion covered her eyes for a few moments, and when she could look again…Asgore had changed. His horns seemed sharper, his eyes were now black with a white line serving as a pupil, there was now a large heart on his armor with that rune they had seen in the underground on it, his armor in general somehow seemed spikier, and his cape was now a dark blue in color.

 _He absorbed a human soul…_

"Humans…I apologize, but I will not lose to the likes of you!" Asgore declared. "For the sake of everyone's hopes and dreams…I will take one of your souls and destroy the barrier!"

 _…please, stop him,_ the voice in Shion's head begged. _You can't let him win._

Everyone seemed much more tense, now that Asgore had absorbed a human soul. Bart lashed his whip as he grimaced, MOMO looked up at Ziggy in terror, Riki and Chu-Chu's fur fluffed up in a futile attempt to intimidate Asgore…

Shulk dashed forward again, and he and Asgore clashed with their weapons once more. This time, however, Asgore seemed to be on the offensive, and was pushing Shulk back every time the Monado met the trident. Riki and Chu-Chu slipped past Shulk and headbutted Asgore, causing him to falter momentarily. The flicker around his hands turned blue, and a wall of blue fire burst up before him. Shulk, Riki, and Chu-Chu retreated, being replaced by Melia as she tried throwing ice spells at him. The wall of fire petered out, and Asgore was quickly throwing blue fireballs to counter Melia's ice spells. He quickly overwhelmed her, and a particularly large fireball sent her falling backwards. Elly dove forward to catch her.

"I've got you, don't worry!" she assured Melia. Melia murmured a word of gratitude as she stood back up, watching as Elly tried to fire off a few spells of her own at Asgore. The two traded spells, fire and ice sailing at each other, until at last Asgore attempted to hurt Elly by stabbing her with the trident. Rico yanked her out of the way in time, grunting as he was stabbed in the arm.

"Rico, are you alright?!" Melia asked, alarmed.

"Don't worry, I'm tougher than I look!" Rico assured, taking a swing at Asgore and decking him in the face. Asgore stumbled back, forgetting to take his trident with him. Rico grunted as he pulled the trident out of his arm, Billy hurrying to use a healing spell to close up the wound.

"Be careful next time, please," he advised before firing at Asgore again. He didn't react in pain this time, instead choosing to raise one of his hands and summon a stream of fire to launch at Billy. Billy fled as fast as he could from the fire, gasping sharply as it caught up to him and burned him. Citan used a healing spell on Billy before drawing his blade.

"Dunban, you mentioned a 'Blossom Dance', yes? How do we use it?" he questioned.

Dunban's eyes lit up. "Alright, you remember what I said about Blossom Dance? I'll go first, Jin will go second, and Citan will go last, and then all of us together at the end!"

"Very well, then!" Citan responded. The three ran toward Asgore, ready to perform the move. The three slashed at Asgore in turn.

"Born in a world of strife…" Dunban began.

"Against the odds…" Jin continued.

"We choose to fight!" Citan finished.

" **Blossom Dance!** " the three shouted, stabbing Asgore with their swords. That seemed to stop Asgore in his tracks, and the three's expressions turned from pride to worry.

"…Asgore?" Dunban asked as they retracted their swords.

"…did we over do it?" Citan wondered. Asgore didn't move for a moment or so, and the three were taken by surprise when he suddenly created two fireballs in his hands and threw them up at the ceiling. The fire rained down on the party was even faster and hurt harder than before, no one able to get close enough to Asgore…save for Shulk, who quickly sneaked around to behind Asgore. He jumped forward, Monado slashing at Asgore's back.

" _Back Slash!_ "

Asgore bellowed in pain, turning around to face Shulk just as he thrust the Monado forward, stabbing Asgore. His eyes widened before he sighed, lowering his head.

"H…Humans, this is the limit of my power," Asgore admitted. "Even with a human soul…I could not stand up to so many humans."

 _…just like Asriel._

The thought made Shion gasp in horror. Asriel died after absorbing the fallen human's soul and being attacked by a group of humans, and Asgore looked like he was headed down that same path…!

Everyone else seemed to realize that as well, some putting away their weapons and others hurrying forward to cast healing spells on Asgore.

"…I remember the day after my son died," Asgore began as the party tried to heal him. "The underground was devoid of hope. The future had once again been taken from us by the humans. In a fit of anger, I declared war…I said I would destroy any human that came here, that I would use their souls to become godlike…and free us from this terrible prison."

"Asgore…" Shion began, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Then, I would destroy humanity and let monsters rule the surface in peace…soon, the people's hopes returned. My wife, however, became disgusted with my actions. She left this place, never to be seen again. Truthfully, I do not want power. I do not want to hurt anyone. I just wanted everyone to have hope…I cannot take this any longer."

Asgore looked up at Shion, a pained look in his eyes. "I just want to see my wife and children again. Please, humans…this war has gone on long enough, you…you have the power. Take my soul and leave this cursed place…"

"A-Asgore, I can't…" Shion refused, shaking her head.

"I absorbed a human soul. I am responsible for the death of six children. I do not deserve mercy. Please, just…take my soul!" Asgore begged. "Take my soul and leave this place!"

Shulk's eyes started glowing blue, and instantly Shion started backing away. "A…Asgore, I refuse! I'm not going to hurt you, please stop this!"

Before anyone could say anything further, a ring of pellets started to surround Shion. Asgore reacted before Shulk or Shion could, shoving her out of the way just before the ring could fully form. The pellets closed in on Asgore, and before the party could respond in time, he turned into dust. The dark blue soul hovered next to a small, white, upside-down heart Shion assumed was Asgore's own soul. Another pellet hit Asgore's soul, and it shattered into many tiny pieces just as Flowey popped up from underneath the ground.

"You _idiots,_ " he sneered. "You haven't learned a thing. Hee hee hee!"

The jars suddenly opened up, and the souls circled around Flowey as his face twisted into a frightening sneer.

"In this world, _it's kill or be killed!_ "

He laughed as suddenly, everything went white, the souls closing in on him–

* * *

 **ERROR**

 **NOT FOUND**


	20. Floweytale: Fei and

_Once upon a time, two races ruled over Earth: humans and monsters. One day, they all disappeared without a trace._

 **Would you like to load the following file?**

 **Flowey - LV 9999**  
 **My World - 999:99**

 **Yes**  
 **Yes**

* * *

Fei found himself standing in a black void, everyone else in his group gathered around him. They had just been in front of the barrier…

"…h..hello? King Asgore? Flowey?" Fei called, stepping forward.

"What has Flowey done?" Shion quietly asked. A familiar point of light appeared several steps ahead, and Fei found himself running toward it.

"Wait, Fei!" Bart shouted after him. Fei placed his hands on the point of light, anxious to just…do something, anything to get them out of here. A large black sign with white writing on it appeared in front of him.

 **XENO - LV ?**  
 **The End - 999:99**

"W-What the…what is that?" Billy wondered as everyone else caught up to Fei, staring at the sign. Within moments, it began to crack and shatter, people yelping and backing away as it broke.

"What the hell?!" Jr yelped. A screen appeared before them, static covering it for a brief second before Flowey's face appeared on it, smiling.

"Howdy! It's me, Flowey! Flowey the Flower!" he greeted as though nothing was wrong at all. There was a simultaneous noise of weapons being drawn, almost everyone getting into a fighting stance.

"You…You piece of…" Bart snarled, lashing his whip.

"Why?! Asgore and ourselves could have put our differences aside!" Reyn shouted.

"Ahaha…I owe you guys a huge thanks! You really did a number on that old fool! I finally got past him and grabbed the human souls! Thanks to you guys…"

Flowey's face twisted into Asgore's, eyes pitch black. " **He's DEAD.** And I've got the human souls!" he sneered.

"You're a sick little weed," Citan commented, brandishing his blade. "You know we won't let you do anything else."

"Hee hee hee…I only need one more soul before I become a god!" Flowey giggled. "I would just need to kill one of you, really, but I wonder what would happen with all of your souls inside me? Mmmm, I can feel the ones I have wriggling…aw, are you all left out? Don't worry, I'll make this quick as possible!"

Flowey's face disappeared from the screen for a moment, a loud giggle echoing through the void.

"Oh, and forget about your old save file!" Flowey said as his face reappeared on the screen. "It's gone forever!"

"The hell are you going on about? Save file?" Bart snapped.

"Don't you guys know about your save file? Y…You…the points of light…" Flowey began, blinking in confusion.

"No, we don't! We don't know what you're talking about!" Melia answered.

Flowey stared at them, slack-jawed, for several minutes. "…wow. Just… **wow.** I feel embarrassed to even be in the same timeline with you people. Oh, but don't worry…"

Flowey grinned. "Soon, it won't even matter! I'm going to teach everyone the real meaning of this world! Humans, monsters…ahahaha! I'm going to enjoy tearing you all to bloody pieces over, and over, _and over!_ "

The party simply stepped forward, weapons at the ready. Gaignun stood a ways behind the party, unable to do anything himself.

"Do you really think you can stop me? Ahaha…"

Flowey grinned sharply. " _You really **are** idiots._ "

Flowey's face vanished, and the six human souls appeared in the darkness for a brief moment, small pinpoints of light in the void. Everything started to flash red as something gigantic slowly approached the party. Jr ran to protect Gaignun, Ziggy stood protectively in front of MOMO, Riki's fur fluffed up as he waved his weapon in an attempt to scare the monster before them…

The abomination before them had huge, spiky limbs of some sort, with claws at the end of them. A fleshy face was in the middle, a pincer-like mouth protruding from it, and two pairs of green eyes staring at them. A screen was on top of the monstrosity, tubing and machinery of all sorts extending from its back, and two large vines with thorns spread out from the screen.

"What in the name of the Yggdrasil…!" Bart whispered, eye widening.

Flowey's face appeared on the screen, and he gave a large grin before the vertical slits that served for eyes split and revealed bright red eyes with green pupils staring down at the people before him. He gave a loud, echoing laugh, enough to shake his new body…no, it was shaking the ground beneath them…!

 _Show no mercy to that rotten houseplant!_

The void suddenly became chaotic as Flowey started tossing X-shaped projectiles everywhere, not giving anyone any time to come up with some sort of strategy to tackle Flowey. He was even faster than Asgore was, and the attacks, if Fei had to guess, were even more deadly than his. Without warning, a blue beam fired out of the pincer-like mouth, driving everyone to clear away from the of the limbs opened up to reveal some sort of flytrap, and a horde of bugs flew in from some place Fei didn't want to think too hard about. They pursued several people until Melia, Jr, and Billy started firing off whatever attacks they had in their arsenal to kill the bugs quickly. The few that escaped the onslaught of spells and bullets flew into the flytrap, disappearing as quickly as they came.

"How the hell do we fight him?!" Bart questioned as another round of X-shaped projectiles were thrown at them. "He's not giving us an opening!"

"Stay calm, we'll figure something out! He's not infallible!" Dunban advised.

It seemed luck was on their side, as suddenly the attacks stopped, and a shrill siren could be heard. The screen was flashing with the words 'SOUL WARNING' on it, and the light blue soul beneath it. Within moments, the void turned to static, and Flowey's powered up form disappeared with the screen left behind, the light blue heart floating on it. After a few seconds, the void returned, and it started raining very large knives.

"Well screw you too, Flowey!" Jr hissed as everyone started running away from the knife rain. Of all the things Fei did not wish to die to today, 'giant knife rain' ranked up there with 'an entertainment robot with a disco ball that shot out lasers.'

"Okay, how do we counter this attack, then?!" Reyn wondered.

"Maybe we can call out to the heart!" Shion suggested. "I know it sounds dumb, but maybe that soul can understand us?"

"Ah, why not, what else could go wrong today?" Bart decided, sighing.

"Human that came before us!" Elly called out. "Please, stop this! We can help you defeat Flowey and free you, just please stop trying to kill us!"

The rain of knives slowed to a stop, and was replaced by glowing green bandages. Fei reluctantly reached out to one, and his wounds were healed in an instant. A few moments passed before the void flashed to static, then back to Flowey. The screen was now showing some human face Fei didn't recognize, contorting in agony as Flowey continued to attack. Shulk's eyes glowed bright blue for a moment as yellow and red lights trained on Fei's chest. Suddenly, vines shot out at Fei just as Shulk grabbed him and yanked him out of the way.

"Keep moving!" Shulk shouted. "Those vines will keep aiming at us!"

The others followed suit, trying to keep running away as a set of lights trained on someone before vines shot out at them. Fei inwardly thanked Shulk's ability to see into the future for keeping any casualties from happening there, only to come to a sudden halt when the blue laser attack made its reappearance. When it stopped, Fei could see Shulk dashing up to Flowey as what seemed to be bombs started raining down on them, leaping up and slashing at Flowey.

"Take this!"

The attack didn't seem to do anything to Flowey, although he gave an amused "Oh~!" from the blow. Shulk's face dropped, eyes widening, before he was forced to run away from the continuing bomb rain.

"He didn't take any damage!" he gasped out as he scrambled away from the bombs.

"How can he be so strong?! How strong are those human souls?!" Jr wondered, glancing quickly up at Flowey just as sirens went off and the 'SOUL WARNING' appeared on the screen again. This time, the orange soul appeared just as the void went to static, then pitch black as this time, beings that seemed to be made out of the same magic as the Mad Dummy's attacks had dashed up to the team, all of them wearing gloves with a small marking on them. The party quickly had to defend against their attacks, Fei grunting in pain as they punched him.

"Please stop attacking us!" he pleaded. "Help us! We can help you stop Flowey! Just stop punching us!"

The figures seemed to slow down, then stood back as they ceased attacking the party. One of them gave the party a thumbs-up just as the void flashed static again, and then they were back fighting Flowey. He started raining bombs down on the party again, shortly before red circles started appearing around the party. White pellets started forming around them, and the others were quick to flee before they could get struck by the pellets.

 _What the hell is with this thing?_ the voice in Fei's head wondered. _Nothing seems to be slowing it down!_

Small stems formed on the giant arms, and what seemed to be bullets in the shape of fingers were fired at the fighters. Fei wound up getting hit by two bullets, and he grunted in pain, stumbling backwards.

"C'mon, c'mon, show us the next soul already!" Bart complained, as three large green…things were flung around the void, aiming at Fei, then Shion, and then Gaignun, the three diving to the ground to avoid the round things before they bounced off into the void.

The siren cut through the air again like a knife as the dark blue soul appeared on the screen, and Fei sighed in relief as he picked himself back up just as the void went to static again, disappearing and leaving…giant shoes of some sort attempting to crush the party. The shoes left behind sparkles as they moved about.

"Oh, come _on!_ " Jr complained. "Of all the things to attack with, you choose ballerina shoes?!"

"Don't stop to yell at him, save that for later!" Dunban advised, fleeing from a shoe trying to stomp on him.

"Hey! Whoever you are, or were, please stop attacking us!" Fiora shouted. "Help us, we can free you and the other souls from Flowey!"

The shoes slowed down before they vanished, the sparkles turning into music notes. A short melody could be heard as first the static returned, then Flowey.

 _You've convinced three out of the six souls to help. Is he going to be weakened when all six turn on him?_

That's what Fei hoped. There was no other obvious way to stop Flowey, and at least the souls' attacks gave them a break from dodging whatever he could use against them

" **Just let me kill you already!** " Flowey shouted, the screen displaying his annoyed face for a moment before the attacks resumed. The vines shot out faster and faster at Fei and the others, Rico pulling Fei out of the way just before he could get impaled by them.

"Thanks!" Fei said just before he had to run to avoid another bomb rain, the explosions rocking the void and sending a few people sprawling to the ground as they lost their balance. Jr yelped as he fell, Ziggy and Gaignun running over to him to pick him up and carry him out of the way just before Flowey could run him through with another vine.

The time before the next Soul Attack felt far too long to Fei, even though it couldn't have been more than a minute. Flowey alternated between bombs and vines for a few moments more before the purple soul appeared on the screen, just before the blue laser shot out of the mouth and came close to hitting Shion and Reyn, Fiora and chaos pulling them out of the way in time.

"Easy there, you two!" Fiora gasped before the area returned to static, then back into a black void. Two large journals stood on either side of the party, opening up and firing out white-colored words at them. Fei had to twist his head to see what they were: they seemed to be mostly negative words, like 'DESPAIR' and 'LONELINESS'.

"Please, whoever you are, stop trying to hurt us!" Shion called out. "Help us, and we can help free you and the other souls from Flowey!"

The negative words came to a halt before turning into more positive words colored in green: 'HOPE', 'FRIENDSHIP', 'DETERMINATION'. Fei touched one of the words, and felt some of his exhaustion melt away before the static came back, then Flowey.

"Why aren't the other souls helping us?!" Jr piped up as he and the others ran from another round of X-shaped projectiles thrown at them. "Can't they communicate with each other or something?"

"I'm pretty sure that's not how it works!" Bart retorted. "They're souls, for crying out loud! They don't look like they can talk!"

"I don't think we should be arguing over this!" Elly pointed out. "Let's just keep dodging Flowey's attacks!"

"Watch out!" Shulk shouted as Flowey raised one of the plant-like arms and tried to bring it down as hard as he could on Chu-Chu, Riki, and Maria. The three scrambled out of the way, narrowly dodging the attack, but not the shockwaves that followed after it. The rest of the party tried as well as they could to jump over the shockwaves, Fei jumping too late and getting hit by one.

" **You're only making it harder on yourselves by not giving up!** " Flowey yelled. Two mechanical-looking things appeared from the sides and started spitting fire at the party, catching them off guard. Several people gasped in pain as they were burned by the fire, Fei included, and Jin and Sharla immediately fired off healing spells to ease the pain.

The fire attacks continued for a few moments more before the mechanical things disappeared, and the green soul appeared on the screen to signal the next break from Flowey's chaos. Static, then…three frying pains appeared above the group.

"Okay, so whenever we convince the souls to help us, their attacks turn green and heal us, right?" Shulk asked. "Maybe this soul won't hurt us, since green seems to be associated with being friendly…?"

Shulk could not have been more wrong, Fei realized, as white fire burst out of the pans and rained down on everyone. Shulk looked dismayed as he ran away from the fire.

"Please, human soul, we need your help!" Gaignun pleaded. "We can help free you, we mean you no harm!"

The fire eventually ceased falling, and suddenly…green eggs were being tossed out of the pans. Riki and Reyn's eyes lit up, though unfortunately the eggs disappeared upon being touched.

"…would've been nice to eat them," Reyn muttered as static covered the void again before Flowey returned.

 _Almost there._

"We have one more soul to get!" Fei said aloud. "Then…what'll happen after that?"

"Hopefully it'll let us hit Flowey!" Dunban answered. "If we can just hold out until then…"

That didn't seem to go unnoticed by Flowey, as he began flinging several attacks at them at once. The swarm of bugs, the numerous X-shaped projectiles, the flamethrowers, the vines, even the laser from the pincher-mouth…Fei had no time to stop to catch his breath, everything seemed to be happening at once.

"Come on, yellow soul, we'd really appreciate you appearing right now…!" Jr hissed, running to avoid the vines aimed at him. It took what felt like several minutes for the yellow soul to show up on the screen, the attacks coming to a halt. Fei inwardly thanked the soul for showing up before any of them could die to the increased onslaught, the area flashing static before revealing a large gun suspended in the air.

"…a gun. A soul with a gun," Bart realized, exasperated. "Why the hell would a soul use a gun to attack us?"

"You're not complaining about the ballerina shoes, but you'll complain about the gun? Really?" Fei questioned as the gun started firing very large bullets at them.

"Human soul! Please, help us!" Shulk asked. "We can help you and the other souls! We want to defeat Flowey too!"

The gun stopped firing bullets, and started firing…what Fei could only assume was clover at the party, healing them up. Abruptly, the void turned to static, and Fei expected to be back in the area with Flowey for a few moments until the void was completely blank, minus the screen. The six human souls appeared on the screen before breaking out of it, circling the group. The green items they gave out upon being called out to appeared, healing the party up fully.

"…thank you," Fei said to the souls, quietly, before they floated off and the battlefield with Flowey returned. He seemed alarmed.

" **Wh…What the?! My defense…what did you do? _What did you do?!_** " Flowey shrieked as the party re-drew their weapons and advanced on him.

"We're done letting you get the upper hand on us, Flowey!" Shulk shouted. "Dunban, Riki, time for a chain attack!"

The three dashed forward and started attacking Flowey, finally dealing damage to him. Flowey shrieked and yelled out in pain, futilely trying to get them to back off.

"Come on, let's join the fun!" Bart prompted. The party converged on Flowey en masse, everyone lashing out with their weapons. Dunban hurried over to Jin and Citan once he was finished with the chain attack.

"Born in a world of strife…"

"Riki angry!"

"Take this, deathblow!"

"Mystic powers, grant me a miracle!"

"Ether drive!"

Fei lost track of how long they whaled on Flowey. He knew at some point Flowey attempted to use a bomb rain like before, but it didn't last for long, and the group went straight back to attacking. Every now and then, an explosion of some sort would hit Flowey, but Fei didn't know who was responsible for that attack.

Eventually, the party backed off, having done as much damage as they could have to Flowey. He didn't fire off anymore attacks at the party as they backed away, that human face that Fei saw earlier on the screen was contorting in pain.

" **Y…You…You…** " Flowey gasped. For a few moments, Fei thought they had won.

Until suddenly, the world flashed, and the words 'SAVE STATE 3 LOADED' appeared on the screen for a few seconds, followed by Flowey grinning.

" **You _idiots._** "

"H-He's back at full health?! How?!" Melia gasped.

Without warning, vines fired at the group, piercing everyone, Fei gasped out in pain as one pierced his chest–

'SAVE STATE 3 LOADED'

The beam shot out of the mouth, Fei feeling himself slip away as it hurt him–

'SAVE STATE 3 LOADED'

Flowey went back and forth on fatally wounding the party, reloading that save state thing over and over. Fei couldn't describe his pain, it wasn't like anything he remembered feeling before.

 _MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP MAKE IT STOP_

Eventually, Fei and the others found themselves struggling to stay standing, a ring of white pellets surrounding them.

" **Hee hee hee…did you really think you could defeat _me?_** " Flowey asked, sneering. " **I am the _god_ of this world! And you? You're _hopeless._ Hopeless and alone.** "

He paused, and Fei could feel his heart pounding in his chest.

" **Golly! That's right! Your worthless friends can't save you now! Go ahead, call for help, I dare you! Cry into the darkness!** "

Flowey's face twisted into a mockery of Toriel's. " **'Mommy! Daddy! Somebody help!' _See what good it does you!_** "

The party immediately began calling for help as loud as they could, Fei joining in.

"Help us, please!"

"Someone help us!"

"Help us, chu!"

 _You called for help…_

Flowey seemed concerned for a moment, as though them calling for help could actually do something. A few minutes passed, and Fei's heart sank as Flowey grinned.

" **But nobody came. Boy, what a shame! Nobody else… _is going to get to see you die!_** "

The pellets closed in on the group, and Fei shut his eyes, bracing himself for the end. Nothing happened after a few minutes, and he opened his eyes to see the pellets had disappeared.

" **W-What?! How did you…oh, who cares, I'll just–** "

The words 'LOAD FAILED' appeared on the screen, and Flowey seemed nervous. " **Wh…Where are my powers?! The souls, they're…!** "

The six souls appeared in front of Flowey, and began attacking him themselves, Flowey shrieking in pain as everything went white–

Fei blinked, and Flowey stood before them, looking wilted and damaged. None of the group approached him at first, until it became apparent he couldn't do anything with how he was.

"He's…He's defenseless…" Fiora realized.

"What do we do with him?" Reyn wondered. "We can't just let him go after that!"

"…we could spare him, or we could kill him," Citan pointed out.

"Spare him? Are you serious, Citan?" Shulk questioned. "After he murdered Asgore like that?!"

"I'm only presenting the option, Shulk. Personally…I'd rather kill him," Citan admitted. "He's a dirty little weed."

"I have to side with him," Dunban admitted. "If we let him go, who knows what else he could do?"

Jin nodded in agreement. "I'd rather not risk another casualty by his hands. Well…leaves, I suppose I should say."

MOMO shook her head. "I'm voting for sparing him. Maybe he can learn to be good…?"

"…I'm siding with MOMO," Ziggy declared. "I don't see the point in hurting him further. He won't have the use of those human souls again."

"I'm not sure if this is the right choice, but…I'm voting for sparing him," Melia decided. "I've seen enough death for one lifetime."

"You can't be serious, Melia!" Shulk protested. "I'm not letting Flowey get away with killing Asgore! I'm all out of mercy, he…he's not above the consequences!"

"I…I gotta agree with Shulk," Reyn admitted. "It hasn't been that long for us since we saw Metal Face murder several people in Colony 9. I wouldn't spare him, I'm not sparing Flowey.

"I think we need to take a vote. If you're in favor of sparing Flowey, go to the right side of the room. If you're in favor of killing him, go to the left," Ziggy ordered.

The party split into two groups. Among the people who wanted to kill Flowey were Maria, Rico, Sharla, and Chu-Chu. Among the people who wanted to spare him…Fei stood with Emeralda, Fiora, Elly, Billy, and Gaignun. Shion, KOS-MOS, chaos, and Riki stood in the middle.

"…Riki want no part of this," Riki decided. "Riki no want to make friends unhappy."

"I agree," chaos said, nodding. "I'd rather not side with anyone for one reason or another."

"Shion, KOS-MOS, you two have to decide. It's 10 to 11…if neither of you choose, we'll kill Flowey," Dunban pointed out.

Shion hesitated, looking at the group, then at Flowey. He seemed oddly frail like that, Fei couldn't deny…

"…I'm…I'm going to spare him," Shion decided. "Look at him, he's weakened. He won't be using those human souls anytime soon…I don't think he'll even be fighting us anytime soon. After all that…I choose to spare him."

"…very well, Shion," Shulk said, sighing in irritation. "And KOS-MOS?"

"…Shion, are you sure about your choice?" KOS-MOS asked. "He poses a threat to you."

"I know, KOS-MOS, but…Asgore is dead. The human souls are gone. What we just saw can't be undone…we need to move on from this, not cause another death today," Shion explained.

"Very well, Shion. I will side with you," KOS-MOS declared. The two walked over to the Spare group.

"So, it's decided. We're sparing Flowey," Citan declared.

"…wh…what?" Flowey asked, slowly raising his head. He had numerous cuts and scratches across his face. "What…are you guys doing?"

"We're sparing you," Fei declared. "We're not going to hurt you further."

"Do you really think I'm going to learn anything from this?" Flowey questioned. "Sparing me won't…won't change anything. You have to kill me to make it all stop."

"We're not going to kill you," Gaignun replied, shaking his head. "We're letting you go."

"If you let me live…I'll come back," Flowey warned.

"We know," Ziggy responded.

"I'll kill you," Flowey added, face beginning to twist into a sneer.

"You don't have the power to do that," Rico pointed out.

" _I'll kill **everyone,**_ " Flowey went on, eyes bulging out of his head.

"We're not scared of you, chu!" Chu-Chu huffed.

" _ **I'LL KILL EVERYONE YOU LOVE!**_ " Flowey shouted, his voice echoing in the room. Those who had been part of the 'kill Flowey' group looked at the 'spare Flowey' group in concern.

"Is this really the right option?" Bart asked.

"…it has to be. I'm not sinking to his level," Billy firmly stated.

Flowey's grin slowly dropped. "…why? Why are you being so…nice to me?"

"Flowey? Are you okay?" MOMO asked.

"I…I don't understand! I…I killed Asgore! Why don't you hate me?!" Flowey questioned, sounding close to tears.

"We're not like you," Shion stated. "We're not out to kill anyone."

"I don't understand! I just can't understand…!" Flowey admitted before disappearing into the ground, leaving the party standing in a familiar room: a patch of grass where Flowey was, and an ornate-looking doorway to the north. This time…Fei could see what looked like the wilderness outside, a night sky hanging overhead.

The party stepped out and into the night, finding themselves standing on a path leading down, a forest sprawling beneath them and what Fei assumed was a city standing in the distance. The sky was shining with stars, a crescent moon overhead.

"…so is this that 'Lost Jerusalem' place?" Elly asked Shion's party, who seemed to be focused on the stars above them.

"…ah…I'm not sure yet. It might be, but…" Shion began, hesitantly.

"This definitely isn't a planet I'm familiar with," chaos admitted. "We'll have to explore to see just where we are."

"Does anyone know where the phone is?" MOMO asked. "I haven't seen it since after we went to the castle…"

"I think we might have dropped it around the time we fought Flowey…we'll be okay without it though, right?" Ziggy guessed.

There was a mumble of agreement around the party, and slowly they started making their way to the city, staying close together.

* * *

Sans hummed quietly as he dialed a phone number, waiting for someone to pick up before an automated voice said he had to leave a message.

"Hey, anyone there? Well…I'll just leave a message, then."

He cleared his throat. "So. Things haven't gone well for us since you guys left. Assuming you did, anyways. The six human souls are gone, and there was a pile of dust where the king was…not sure what you guys were thinking when you went to fight Asgore, but I can only assume you did what you had to. The queen returned, and she's been trying to keep us from falling into despair. So hey…if we're not giving up, you guys shouldn't either, wherever you are, k?"

"Sans! Who are you talking to?" Papyrus asked, walking up to him.

"Nobody," Sans responded, the grin on his face growing just the slightest bit bigger.

"Ooh! Can I talk to Nobody too?" Papyrus questioned. Sans nodded and handed over the phone.

"Hello–wait, this is the number of the humans' phone! Hello, humans! I have important news: I became head of the Royal Guard!" Papyrus declared.

He paused for a few seconds, then admitted, "Well…what's left of the Royal Guard. Queen Toriel disbanded the Guard, so now all I do is tend to the garden all day…plus, Undyne resigned beforehand. She said she wanted to spend more time with Alphys, anyways."

"Did someone mention me?" Undyne asked, running up to Papyrus and Sans.

"Ah! Undyne, I was just talking about you to the humans!" Papyrus explained. "Do you want to say hi?"

Undyne nodded, and Papyrus gave her the phone. "Hey, humans! I'm…guessing that you guys aren't answering the phone for one reason or another, but…if you ever pick up, can you please tell me what happened to Asgore? I know you guys couldn't have killed him, but…"

She sighed. "Alphys has become more of a recluse since Asgore died. Mettaton and I are there for her, and we're going to help her work through whatever has her so down! And…honestly, I hope that wherever you guys are, you're happy. We've given up a ton for you! So appreciate the surface, alright?!"

"Oh, should we get the queen to talk? I'm sure she'd love to hear from the humans too!" Papyrus guessed.

"Ooh, yeah! Queen Toriel! Do you want to talk to the humans!" Undyne shouted. Toriel hurried over to the three, Undyne giving her the phone.

"My friends…hello? Are you all there? Well…I hope that you all are alright, wherever you are," Toriel began. "I wish I could have seen you again, but I hope that all of you are doing well and are safely home by now."

She waited a few moments before admitting, "It's…It's odd, I almost thought I would have more to say, but…I'm speechless at the moment, I apologize. If you ever decide to come back…we'll be waiting, okay?"

A small beeping sound came from the phone. "Oh…it seems this is almost out of batteries. I suppose that's all I can say for now…good-bye, my friends! I hope we can meet again soon!" Toriel said before ending the call.

* * *

Flowey popped out of the ground, a surprised look on his face. "…why didn't you do it? Why didn't you kill me?" he asked. "Don't you know that being nice only gets you hurt…?"

He sighed. "Everyone gave up so much for you…and yet look at how this all turned out. You threw away your shot at giving them all peace and ending their misery…and no one is any closer to their goals than they should be. Not even you. Everyone's still miserable…"

Flowey hummed in thought for a moment. "…say, what if you just…returned to your last save point? Maybe this time…do something right? You could have been better friends with Dr. Alphys…"

He smiled. "Maybe she holds the key to your happiness…heh, see you soon, Chara."

With that, he vanished into the ground.


	21. Waterfall Return: Shulk

_Once upon a time, two races ruled over Earth: humans and monsters. One day, war broke out between the two races, and the humans won. They sealed the monsters underground with a powerful magic spell…_

 _Many years later, at Mt. Ebott…_

 **Would you like to load the following file?**

 **XENO - LV ?**  
 **The End - 999:99**

 **Yes**  
 **No**

* * *

Shulk blinked, and suddenly, he found himself back in the area just before the barrier, the rest of the party stumbling to a halt and looking around in confusion.

"…what the hell?" Jr said as he peered around the room. "We were just outside! We were heading toward that city, and suddenly we're back here?"

"Did anyone hear or see anything before we were sent back here?" Dunban questioned. "Is this Flowey's handiwork…?"

"…I did," Shion answered. "I was lagging behind the group, and Flowey talked to me. He said something about Dr. Alphys…?"

"I wonder…" Gaignun murmured. He walked quickly toward where the barrier was, peering into the next room before returning.

"…Asgore is alive again."

"He's alive?!" Shulk gasped. "How? He's supposed to…we saw Flowey kill him right before us! Why is he alive…?"

"Maybe we were sent back in time? Unless…" Jin began.

"Flowey mentioned saving…the glowing points of light, I wonder…" chaos murmured, folding his arms.

"That save point thing, I think we returned to a point before Asgore died and Flowey stole the souls," Shion suggested. "And if we face Asgore now…"

"He might just die again," Fei finished. "So…what do we do, because apparently we're not supposed to leave the underground just yet?"

"…Flowey mentioned Alphys. We left without saying a proper good-bye to her, so maybe we need to do something with her there…?" Shion guessed.

"So…back to Hotland it is, then?" Reyn realized.

Shion nodded, and the party set out for Hotland. It was a quiet walk through the colorless city, no one sure what to say at first. Shulk realized he didn't feel nearly as tired as he was after fighting Flowey, and it seemed the rest of the group was in the same boat.

"…it's weird we're suddenly just…okay again," Shulk observed. "No wounds, no feeling of being tired…nothing like that."

"Maybe that's a side effect of going back in time?" Maria suggested. "I'm certainly not complaining."

The group came to a halt as they re-entered the house, Shulk remembering Toriel's home as he sadly looked around.

"…look at where we are. This place almost looks exactly where we started," Elly murmured.

"The fact we're alive must be a miracle," Fiora added. "Do you think Toriel misses us…?"

"Without a doubt," Dunban answered. "If she saw those humans when they were alive…"

"…I thought what she was saying before was just hyperbole. 'They come, they leave, they die,' y'know?" Bart admitted. "I was hoping during our travel we'd see at least one other human who was alive, but…now I'm not really sure how to feel about the fact that six humans died down here at the hands of monsters."

"Can we blame them?" Shion asked. "We don't know exactly how the war started, but the monsters were the victims. They wouldn't see humans in a good light, even if they were born or created after the war."

"Well, I _guess,_ but they killed six people, you can't forget that," Bart reminded. "Hell, I'm willing to bet they were kids. Kids, Shion! Don't get me wrong, I'm still sympathetic with the monsters and all, but…we can't just overlook the fact six people died down here."

"We shouldn't, no," Citan agreed. "Though I don't think we can place too much blame on them, either, for acting how they did. I think the best thing we can assume is something of gray morality, perhaps?"

"Why are we discussing this?" Jr piped up. "This isn't really our place to talk about, we're probably not even from this world!"

"Eh…sorry," Bart apologized. "Just got to thinking for the first time just what we've wound up in."

The rest of the trek back to the Core and through it were silent, Shulk mulling over what Bart and Citan suggested. Humans and monsters apparently couldn't live together a long time ago, possibly because monsters could absorb human souls, and yet…the only truly evil monster they had met so far was Flowey. Undyne and Papyrus were willing to befriend the group, Toriel wanted to protect them, Sans was…well, Sans, and Asgore was likely fighting because there was no other choice for him.

So where did that leave Shulk, Shion, Fei, and all of their friends? They were invaders, by all accounts, they must have been as frightening as Mechon are to Homs…

The phone rang as they left the Core and were on the bridge to MTT Resort. Shion answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, uh, human! I need your help back at Snowdin!" Undyne admitted. "I know you guys are busy, but–"

"No, it's alright, Undyne!" Shion quickly answered. "We'll be on our way, just give us some time, alright?"

"Oh. Alright, Papyrus and I'll be waiting outside his house!" Undyne informed before hanging up.

"Snowdin so far away…" Riki realized.

"Honestly, after fighting the abomination that was Flowey, I'll take a simple walk," Billy admitted.

MTT Resort was much less full than before, though all of the monsters in the lobby eyed the group cautiously, perhaps understandably worried they did something in the Core or elsewhere. Shulk shuddered as they left and walked through Hotland.

 _Pay them no mind. They don't mean much in the end._

The group stopped by Alphys' lab, noticing the door was shut tight. Shulk knocked on the door, but Alphys didn't respond.

"…Dr. Alphys? Hey, it's…it's us, the humans," Shion called. "Please, don't…don't shut us out…"

Alphys still didn't answer. When it became apparent she was shutting them out, Shion sighed and turned around. "Let's just…get through Waterfall and back to Snowdin."

Shulk couldn't help but look around Waterfall some more as they proceeded through it. It reminded him quite a bit of Satorl Marsh…were they ever going to get home? They couldn't be stuck down here forever, right?

As they walked through Waterfall, Shulk noticed a gray door in a wall, and he stopped. "…huh? What's this doing here?"

"A door…?" MOMO noticed, walking over to it. "This wasn't here last time…"

"I'd say 'open it', but we should be careful here," Dunban admitted.

"KOS-MOS, can you scan to see if the other side of that door is safe?" Shion asked.

KOS-MOS nodded and approached the door, scanning it. "…there doesn't seem to be anything that could harm you, Shion."

Shulk slowly opened the door, surprised at the sudden contrast: the room was pure white and just…featureless. The only other noticeable thing was another being in the room, slouched over. They had white hands, a white face, pitch-black eyes with cracks around them, a mouth set in what Shulk could only assume was an open smile, and…the rest of their body was just black all over. Shulk couldn't tell if it was goo of some sort or clothing…

 _What is that thing?_

"Um…hello?" MOMO tried to speak with the being. "Are you okay?"

The being slowly raised their head, small pinpoints of lights forming in their eyes. They opened their mouth to speak.

"[WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SWAMP?]"

Shulk cringed. What kind of language was that? "A…Are you okay, whoever you are?" he asked, reaching out for them. The being seemed surprised, and disappeared right before everyone's eyes as they said something else.

"[I SEE. SO YOU ARE THE ANOMALIES HE BROUGHT HERE.]"

"…well, uh. That was a thing," Bart noted as the group left the room. "Wonder who they were."

"They reminded me of Sans and Papyrus," MOMO noted. "We should ask once we're back in Snowdin…"

Within a short walk, they were at Snowdin once again, Papyrus and Undyne waiting for the group outside Papyrus' home.

"Hello, humans!" Papyrus greeted, happily. "It is wonderful to see you all in person again!"

"I'm surprised you guys didn't use the River Person to get from Hotland to Snowdin," Undyne admitted.

"…River Person?" Shulk repeated, confused.

"Yeah, the River Person! They ferry people all around the underground!" Undyne explained. "Though, granted, they might not offer their services to all of you…"

Shulk sighed. "Well, nonetheless, we're here. What did you need from us?"

"Well…I need you guys to deliver a letter to Alphys for me," Undyne explained as she took out a letter, giving it to Shion. I realize I should've told you guys before you went to the Core, but you're here now, so! Get it over to her ASAP!"

"We will!" Shion assured. "Oh, and by the way…we encountered someone strange while we were getting through Waterfall."

"Eh? Strange how? You guys didn't see another human, did you?" Undyne asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No–well, I'm not sure if they even were human. They looked like this black…blob thing with a white face and hands, and there were cracks around their eyes…does that sound familiar to you two?" Shion tried to explain.

Undyne and Papyrus seemed lost in thought for a good minute or two, glancing at each other occasionally.

"Does that sound familiar to you, Papyrus?" Undyne asked.

Papyrus shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. Maybe Sans knows?" he wondered. "Though he won't be back for a while, he's working the hot dog stand in Hotland. Perhaps you all can return after you give the letter to Dr. Alphys?"

"We'll do that, thanks! We'll call you guys later!" Shion decided.

"Oh, before we go, where's this River Person?" Dunban asked.

"North exit of town, they'll be the hooded person on a boat!" Undyne informed, and the party walked toward the northern exit of Snowdin. There, on the river, sat a hooded being with a boat that had a dog's face on it.

"Tra la la. I am the riverman. Or am I the riverwoman? It doesn't really matter," the River Person greeted in a sing-song voice as the group approached them. "I love to ride my boat. Would you care to join me?"

"Yes, please. We need to go to Hotland," Shion answered.

"How are we going to fit on the boat, chu?" Chu-Chu wondered.

"Do not worry. The boat will expand to fit all of you," the River Person answered. The group slowly shuffled onto the boat, Ziggy and Rico being careful to not accidentally tip the boat over. As the River Person said, the boat grew to fit everyone aboard, some people sitting down instead of standing.

"Tra la la. And we're off," the River Person declared, the boat moving toward the east. Shulk sat down, watching as the snowy landscape of Snowdin passed to the dark caverns of Waterfall.

"Tra la la. The angel is coming…tra la la," the River Person hummed, prompting Shulk to look up at them in curiosity.

"Angel? What are you talking about?" he asked.

"The prophecy from Waterfall," Shion recognized. "The one who has seen the surface…they will return, and the underground will go empty. Remember?"

Shulk blinked, then nodded. "Sorry. So much has happened since we were in Waterfall, I forgot about that prophecy…wait, the angel is coming soon?"

The River Person simply nodded. "Tra la la. I wonder if it is an angel of death…tra la la," they wondered.

"An angel of death…the only one that could fit that would be Flowey," Ziggy noted. "Given he insists it's 'kill or be killed,' at least."

"We can't let this angel kill people, assuming the prophecy is true," Jin remarked, folding his arms. "That makes me wonder if Flowey is still a threat after all…"

The boat pulled in to Hotland, coming to a stop. "Tra la la," the River Person hummed. "We are here."

"Thank you, River Person!" MOMO thanked. The River Person simply nodded, and the party headed north to see Alphys' lab, the door still closed. Shulk approached the door and slid the letter underneath.

"…huh? What's this?" Alphys wondered, voice muffled. There was a brief moment of silence before the sound of something mechanical revving up could be heard, Shion's party gaping at the door in surprise.

"…she's…she's using a _chainsaw_ to cut open a letter?!" Jr realized.

"What's a chainsaw, chu?" Chu-Chu asked.

"It's a tool people use to cut down trees, why in the name of Second Miltia is Dr. Alphys using it to _cut open a letter?_ " Shion wondered.

Alphys eventually slowly opened the door, looking at Shulk and the others in surprise, letter clutched in her hands in a surprisingly intact state. "W-Which one of you wrote this letter…?"

"Ah…none of us did," Dunban explained. "Undyne asked us to deliver it to you."

Alphys' eyes widened, her face growing red. "U-Undyne wrote this?! Oh…Oh my gosh…" she squeaked. "S-She asked me to…to date her!"

"Really? Congratulations, Dr. Alphys!" Fiora cheered. "That's wonderful that–"

"No, no no you don't understand! I…I'm…I can't, she…she thinks I'm cool and all, but I-I'd just…she'd see who I really was, and she wouldn't ever want to date me again!" Alphys explained, a terrified look on her face.

"We can help you!" Shion offered. "You helped us get through Hotland and the Core, I want to return the favor. Please, let us help you, Dr. Alphys…"

Alphys winced at the mention of Hotland. "E-Even though most of it was just an attempt at me trying to befriend you? Don't you guys have anything better to do…?"

Shion shook her head. "We didn't leave on a good note when we left for the capital, and I want to change that."

Alphys sighed. "If…If you insist. Um…can we do this at a place I feel more comfortable at?" she asked.

"Of course!" Shion answered. "Where do you want to go?"

–

A few minutes later, the party was standing in Waterfall's dump, near where they had fallen down after being pursued by Undyne. Bart and Jr were bewildered at the dump being where Alphys felt more comfortable at.

"…the dump? Not like…I dunno, that wishing room place?" Bart asked.

"I just…prefer this place, okay?" Alphys admitted. "It's where I first met Undyne, and uh…well, where I found some of my anime."

"Where you found some of your anime? Er…is anime normally thrown away, Shion?" Fei asked.

"Some anime, yes," Shion answered. "But anyways…so Dr. Alphys, how should we start helping you with Undyne?"

"A-Ah, well…gosh, how do I do this…oh, right! I give you guys items to raise your affection stat, right?" Alphys asked.

"…yes?" Shulk responded, confused.

"Okay, how about some armor polish–" Alphys began, taking out a jar of armor polish before freezing. "E-Er…wait, no, that's…"

 _Clearly for Undyne._

"O-Okay, how about some make-up for…scales…" Alphys said, putting away the armor polish and taking out a small container of make-up, stopping again.

"Ah…maybe we should try something else?" Dunban gently suggested as Alphys put away the make-up.

"Y-Yeah! I'm okay with that! But…oh, what else can we do…" Alphys wondered.

 _Obviously roleplay._

"Er…roleplay?" Shion suggested before Shulk could.

"O-Oh! Yeah, roleplay can work! So, uh…which one of you will be Undyne?" Alphys asked.

"I will," Shion volunteered.

"O-Okay…" Alphys paused to clear her throat before greeting, "H-Hi, Undyne…h-how are you today?"

"I'm fine. And you?" Shion asked, doing her best impression of Undyne's voice.

"I-I'm glad to hear it! I…I need to talk to you about something, Undyne," Alphys admitted.

"What is it, Alphys?" Shion questioned.

"U-Um, you see…I-I haven't exactly been…truthful with you…y-you see, I…I…oh forget it! Undyne, I-I want to tell you how I feel!" Alphys shouted. "Y-You're so brave, and so strong, and so nice, and you always listen to me when I talk about nerdy stuff, a-and you always do your best to make me feel special, a-and how you'll beat up anyone for me…"

 _Is she okay?_

"I-I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE! UNDYNE!" Alphys hollered. "I'M MADLY IN LOVE WITH YOU! HOLD ME, UNDYNE, HOLD ME!"

At that moment, Undyne entered the dump, eye wide. She now had on a jacket, jeans, boots, and a white eyepatch instead of her normal black one. Alphys yelped in surprise, stumbling backwards.

"…what did you just say?" Undyne asked, surprised.

"U…Undyne! I…I was just…" Alphys stammered.

"Hey, whoa, wait a second! You're with all the humans, what's the occasion–" Undyne began before pausing and looking over at the party.

Shulk gave a little wave. "Hello, Undyne…"

"Wait a sec…are you guys out on a date?" Undyne asked.

"No, we're…we were helping Alphys with uh…looking for more anime!" Shion lied.

"O-Oh…no, don't lie for me, I…Undyne, I've been lying to you!" Alphys confessed.

"What…?" Undyne questioned. "About what?"

"E-Everything!" Alphys blurted. "I-I told you seaweed was scientifically important, but really I just use it to make ice cream! Those human books I always read are just dorky comic books! And the history movies they're…they're anime! That time I told you I was busy with work over the phone, I was just eating frozen yogurt in my pajamas! Th-That time I–"

"Alphys," Undyne interrupted, concerned.

"I…I just wanted to impress you," Alphys admitted. "I just want you to think I was smart and cool, that I wasn't some…nerdy loser."

"Alphys…" Undyne repeated, bending down and stroking Alphys' head.

"Undyne, I…I really think you're neat, okay?" Alphys went on.

"Alphys," Undyne hummed, bending down further to hug her. "Shh, shh…"

Shion, Fiora, and a few other people couldn't help but go 'aww' at the scene. It was adorable to see, Shulk couldn't deny.

 _This is pointless._

Without warning, Undyne suddenly picked up Alphys and dunked her into a trash can, the party looking on in shock.

"Alphys! I…I think you're neat too!" Undyne confessed. "But you've gotta realize…most of what you said doesn't matter to me! I don't care if you're watching kid cartoons or reading history books! To me, all of that stuff is just _nerdy crap!_ What I like about you is that you're _passionate!_ You're _analytical!_ It doesn't matter what it is! YOU CARE ABOUT IT! 100-PERCENT, AT MAXIMUM POWER!"

 _…we should just leave._

No, Shulk wanted to see what the end of this would be, this was…interesting, to say the least.

"So you don't have to lie to me! I don't want you to have to lie to anyone anymore. Alphys, I want to help you become happy with who you are!" Undyne declared. "And I know just the training you need for that!"

Alphys poked her head out of the trash can. "Undyne, you…you're gonna train me?" she asked, blushing.

"Nah, I'm gonna get Papyrus to do it," Undyne responded.

At that moment, Papyrus rose out of a nearby trash pile, wearing some sort of exercise outfit. "Get those bones shaking! It's time to jog 100 laps, hooting about how great we are!"

"Ready? I'm about to start the timer!" Undyne warned.

"U-Undyne…I'll do my best!" Alphys declared, climbing out of the trash can and running off with Papyrus.

Undyne turned to fully face the party. "Oh my god! She was kidding, right?! Those cartoons, those comics…those are still real, _right?!_ "

"U-Uh…" Shulk stammered as Undyne grabbed him.

" _ **ANIME IS REAL, RIGHT?!**_ " she yelled.

Shulk sweated nervously. He wouldn't know if anime was real, but…

"E-Er…yes? Anime is real?" he answered.

Undyne dropped him, a relieved look on her face. " **I KNEW IT!** " she declared. "GIGANTIC SWORDS! MAGICAL PRINCESSES! HERE I COME!"

Her enthusiasm slowly died down. "By the way…thanks for taking care of Alphys for me," she thanked. "I didn't get to say what I wanted to, but…things seem like they're going to get better for her. Well, I gotta go catch up with them! Later!"

Undyne jogged away, leaving the party standing in the dump.

"…that was…something," Citan observed. "Well…shall we get out of this dump?"

The party left the dump, returning to the area near Waterfall's exit. The phone suddenly rang, and Shion answered it. "Hello?"

"Ah, human!" Papyrus greeted. "It is nice to talk with you! Could you…do me a favor of some sort? Alphys went home earlier than expected, and I'm worried about her. Would you please check on her?"

"Oh! Of course, Papyrus!" Shion answered.

"Thank you! Good bye!" Papyrus replied before hanging up. The walk to Hotland was thankfully short, the party reaching the lab within a few minutes. This time…the door was unlocked, the lights dimmed.

"Alphys? Hello…?" Shulk quietly called.

"It doesn't seem like she's here…where could she be?" Shion wondered.

Gaignun noticed something near the glass door, and walked over. "…there's a piece of paper with her handwriting on it!"

"What? What does it say?" Shulk asked as the group hurried over.

"Let's see…'Hey. Thanks for your help back there. You guys…your support means a lot to me. But…as difficult as it is to say this, you guys alone can't make my problems magically go away. I want to be a better person. I don't want to be afraid anymore. And for that to happen, I have to be able to face my own mistakes. I'm going to start doing that now. I'm going to be clear: this isn't anyone else's problem but mine. But if you don't ever hear from me again…if you want to know the 'truth'…enter the door to the north of this note. All of you at least deserve to know what I did.'"

A grim silence fell over the group as Gaignun read the letter aloud. Shulk couldn't help but gulp nervously. "The truth…what could she be talking about?"

"…we'll have to find out," Fei solemnly pointed out. "Let's enter this door."

Gaignun led the group into the door, surprised to see that it was an elevator of some sort. He pressed a button, and the elevator began to descend.

"Wonder what we'll find…it can't be too bad, right?" Shulk wondered aloud.

As if on command, the elevator began to shake, the lights flickering. Riki, Chu-Chu, and Rico's fur stood on end.

"Wh-What happen to elevator?!" Riki wondered.

"Everyone hold onto something, I think this is going to–" Jin began but was cut off as suddenly, everything went dark. The last thing Shulk knew was hitting something painfully before he lost consciousness.


	22. True Lab: Gaignun part 1

Okay, now that I'm not uploading all of these chapters in one day, hello! This was on Archive Of Our Own for a while, and I chose to port it over here!

This chapter was technically co-written by saber-chan on tumblr, and I thank her for her help!

A word from Saber before the chapter starts:

"pls play the Xeno series I'll give you my undying soul if you do thanks byE"

* * *

Gaignun didn't move as he slowly regained consciousness. He felt something lying on top of him, not quite heavy enough to pin him to the floor, and his body ached as though he had been thrown around like a toy. Dim light slowly started to bloom past his eyelids, and he gingerly opened his eyes. Ziggy and Rico were attempting to pry apart the elevator's doors, the group's medics casting healing spell after healing spell. Shulk was lying unconscious on Gaignun, a pained look on his face.

"Don't push yourselves, you two," MOMO gently reminded Ziggy and Rico as she attempted to wake up Jr.

"We won't!" Rico assured. "Has anyone woken up yet?"

"I…I have," Gaignun answered, slowly sitting up. "What happened?"

"The elevator malfunctioned," Ziggy explained. "Rico and I are trying to open up the doors, and MOMO and the other healers are trying to wake everyone up. Are you alright?"

"I…I will be," Gaignun responded. "Where are we?"

"One second…!" Rico said before he and Ziggy were able to pry the door open, revealing a dark gray area outside of the elevator. From what Gaignun could see…the lighting was dim, the walls and floor a dingy gray, and it was dead quiet.

"…another lab?" Billy wondered, pausing to look outside the elevator. "What could Alphys be hiding down here?"

One by one, the rest of the group woke up, thankfully alright after the numerous healing spells cast on them. Chu-Chu tentatively sniffed outside the area, cringing. "I don't know how to describe what I'm smelling, chu…"

"I suspect it's nothing pleasant," Fiora guessed. "Are we all okay?"

"We've done what we can to heal everyone," Sharla informed. "Hopefully, you all are alright…"

Everyone checked themselves over, and it became apparent the healing spells did the trick. The party climbed outside of the elevator, looking around slowly.

"Dr. Alphys? Hello?" Gaignun called.

"It's so quiet here…why would she be down here?" Shion wondered. The party slowly proceeded down the hall, looking around them as they walked. What happened down here, Gaignun was curious to find out. Before long, a series of panels appeared on the walls.

"Huh? Wonder what this is all about…" Shion murmured as she approached one. "Let's see…'This is it…time to do what the king has asked me to do. I will create the power to free us all. I will unleash the power of the SOUL.'"

"The soul? What're they going on about?" Bart wondered.

"Let me read the next. 'The barrier is locked by SOUL power.. Unfortunately, this power cannot be recreated artificially. SOUL power can only be derived from what was once living. So, to create more, we will have to use what we have now… The SOULs of monsters.' Is this Dr. Alphys' notes?" Shion wondered.

"I'm willing to bet it is. She mentioned something she had to tell the truth about…" chaos reminded.

Jr looked uncomfortable. "So is this some secret lab, then?" he asked, sounding uncomfortable.

Shulk's eyes lit up. "Dr. Alphys might have had a secret lab? I always wondered where she worked, no place in the lab looked suitable for her to create Mettaton's other form that I could see…"

"Don't look so happy about it!" Jr complained. "We have no idea what she's done down here!"

"Easy there, Jr," Gaignun tried to soothe. "Hopefully we won't be here long. Shion, what does the third panel say?"

"It says, 'But extracting a SOUL from a living monster would require incredible power… Besides being impractical, doing so would instantly destroy the SOUL's host. And, unlike the persistent SOULs of humans… The SOULs of most monsters disappear immediately upon death. If only I could make a monster's SOUL last…'

"A monster's soul last…" Jin murmured. "So something to do with humans, then…?"

"Perhaps so?" Citan hypothesized, nodding in agreement. "There was a sign a while back that mentioned something similar. About how a monster with a human soul would be an unstoppable force."

"Yes, I recall that." Sharla spoke. 'It makes sense, too. Apparently, human souls linger longer than monster souls… What is it that humans have that monsters lack, for their souls to linger that long?"

"That's what I wonder. Humans are physical beings, and monsters are magical beings…and presumably Homs fit into the human category. But…what would cause a soul to linger after death? The want to live…?" Jin wondered.

"There's one more panel: 'I've done it. Using the blueprints, I've extracted it from the human SOULs. I believe this is what gives their SOULs the strength to persist after death. The will to keep living… The resolve to change fate. Let's call this power… "Determination."' Determination…" Shion repeated, quietly.

"Determination?" Reyn reiterated. "What, are they sayin' that monsters don't have no determination?"

"Or could it be that it faded over the many years of being trapped down here?" Ziggy suggested." They lost hope, faith… determination."

"Maybe it could be more of a human thing, too," Billy guessed. "I'm not sure what to make of this Determination thing…"

Up ahead lied a vending machine with bags of 'Popato Chisps' in it, a door with four circular indentations in it, and two pathways on either side of the door. Gaignun had to silently chuckle at the 'Popato Chisps' vending machine, what an odd typo.

MOMO tapped at the vending machine, wondering if it was still working. "Do you think we should get some to go?" she asked. "It's not really food, but it's something to stave us while we're here…"

"We should," Fiora agreed. She approached the machine, frowning when she saw the popato chisps were 25 gold. "Ah, right…do we have any gold for the vending machine?"

"A-Ahh…" Shion fumbled around in her pockets, frowning slightly. "I don't think we have any… I mean, I have money, but I suppose our currency won't work with theirs…"

"A bummer," Reyn admitted, with a small frown. "But it can't be helped, right? Besides, who knows what the food here tastes like… s'creepy. Might be rotten or taste bad."

"True…ah well. Let's head to the left, then, it seems that door won't open…" Fiora prompted, turning to glance at the door before them before heading towards the left hall.

This room held three…beds? Chairs? Whatever they were, they were covered in some sort of sticky substance…there was also a panel on the wall.

The sticky substance left a few in the group with a displeased expression - Reyn, for jumping to the conclusion of there being Arachnids here, and Shulk, fearing for the presence of caterpillars.

Both decided to get their minds off of their phobias and focus on the panel on the wall, as one amongst the group read it aloud for the others.

"Asgore asked everyone outside the city for monsters that had "fallen down." Their bodies came in today. They're still comatose… And soon, they'll all turn into dust. But what happens if I inject "determination" into them? If their SOULS persist after they perish, then… Freedom might be closer than we all thought," Citan read aloud.

A separate panel read: "things aren't going well. none of the bodies have turned into dust, so I can't get the SOULs. i told the families that i would give them the dust back for the funerals. people are starting to ask me what's happening. what do i do?"

Off to the side stood three sinks, and a small hall leading north from the room.

Maria gave a discontent expression, eyes glancing down at the ground. "…Forgive me," she spoke, once Citan had finished reading the panel. "I think I need to splash some water onto my face before I continue on. I need to refresh myself. These panels, this…tale… I worry where it's heading towards." she confessed.

Citan nodded. "It's alright, Maria. This does sound like a rather upsetting story…though, I wonder, if monsters turn into dust when they're killed, why are those seats sticky…?"

He paused, walking over to look at the seats for a few moments.

Chu-Chu gave a small squeaking sound. "I don't know about chu, but I'd rather not know! This is all too scary for a girl like me…!"

"This is leaving a rather sour taste in my mouth, too," Jr confessed, arms crossed. He seemed impatient down in the lab, eager to leave as soon as possible - and he'd barely scratched the surface of what was down here.

Gaignun nodded in agreement. "Let's…Let's hurry out of here as soon as we can."

Shion couldn't help but explore the small hall heading north, finding a slot for a colored switch, and a barely legible note that read "Dropped…drain…"

"Drain? Maybe something was dropped down one of those sinks…"

She wondered, could it have been something that would fit into this colored slot? She knew this slot had to be used for something; it just stood out too much to her for it to be deemed just a simple decoration. "It's worth checking out," she mumbled to herself, heading back to regroup with the others. The silence in this lab would be unbearable if she were on her own.

Maria approached the sink on the far left, turning the handle as Shion walked in. Nothing happened for a few moments, until something white spurted out of the faucet. Maria stumbled back, eyes wide.

"What in the name of Solaris…!"

Three, identical, white…things had come out of the faucet. They…vaguely resembled grossly misshapen heads with parts of a spine jutting out of them.

"Wh-What are those?!" Maria exclaimed, silently thanking Billy for helping her regain her balance as she stumbled backwards.

"Monsters?" Ziggy questioned, trying to keep himself calm in front of such a strange creature. "Though they're not like any monster we've seen in the Underground so far…"

"What the hell?!" Bart exclaimed, stepping away from the new monsters. "And I thought Flowey's other form was awful to look at…!"

The monsters looked at the humans before opening their mouths. All that came out was loud static and a phone ringing. The Homs cringed, the sound likely alien to them, and Jr was just about bristling in fear. Gaignun himself was frozen, flashbacks running through his head, the underground lab was replaced by a city with dark clouds covering the sky, there was a gun in his hands, there was blood on his hands, the bodies of his fellow URTVs were all around him, dying or dead–

Gaignun shook his head, blinking rapidly, and he was back in the present, the monsters still standing before the party. They didn't seem to have done anything while Gaignun was flashing back to the Miltian Conflict, at least…

"W…What do with them?" Fiora wondered. "Do we try to show mercy to them as well?"

"They're…They're like monsters, right? So maybe we have to figure out how to get them to stop attacking us, like the Madjick and Knight Knight!" Elly suggested.

"I heard a phone ringing when they tried to speak, so maybe…"

She took out the cell phone they had been given a while ago, and held it out to the three monsters. Their garbled speech suddenly became clearer, though…now it was clear they were saying "Come join the fun!"

"J-Join the fun!?" Billy stammered, "What kind of fun is this?!"

"It's terrifying, if you ask me," Sharla mused, taking a step backwards.

"E-Er…we…would rather not…" Shion answered the monsters before them. One them simply said "Oh well," and they began to simply evaporate into thin air.

There was a chilling, still feeling in the air. Jr remained frozen, fighting to hold himself back from shedding tears. "…G…Go…" he winced. "I… I want to go…"

"Jr? Jr, are you okay?" MOMO asked, approaching him and gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"N-No…" Jr confessed, staring at what seemed like nothing. "No, I…I-I'm…G-Gaignun…"

Jr ran toward Gaignun and clung to his arm tightly, and Gaignun could feel him shake. "E…Easy, Jr, easy, that might be the only scare we get down here."

Fei looked just as distressed, glancing to the ground. "…we need to find a way out of here. Is finding out the truth behind any of this worth it…?"

Shulk hesitantly nodded. "We…We still need to find Alphys, maybe that's the worst of it…"

"I agree," Dunban nodded. "Scary as this is, at least we have each other. Alphys is all alone. She could be hurt… or worse. We need to find her. She's our friend, after all."

"Riki agree! Riki is here for Hom-Hom and human friends!" Riki chirped.

Shion checked the sink, finding a red key to match that slot in the hall with the note. She hurried toward the hall with the note, and inserted the key into the slot. The sound of something turning on could be heard.

"What did chu do?" Chu-Chu curiously questioned. "How did chu know there was a key there, Shion?"

"That hall, there was a note about something being dropped in a drain. I figured it was the key to that machine in there," Shion explained. "Though…sadly, it's only one of four…"

"There's four of them in this God-awful place?" Bart scowled, looking irate. "Did Alphys leave this around for us to solve, or something?"

"That would imply a defense mechanism." Citan noted. "Which would further imply that there's something down here that she really doesn't want to be seen, or let out."

"And if that was just this room…we really need to keep moving," Dunban realized. "I hope she's alright…and whatever is down here is friendly."

"Likewise," Rico nervously replied.

"L-Let's get going, then," Fiora prompted, impatient to leave. Melia and Riki wasted no time in leaving the room, Citan hesitating to leave without inspecting the room to make sure there were no other surprises.

"C'mon Doc, we're wasting time here," Fei nervously stated, hoping to be able to drag his friend out of the room with him. "I don't like it here. Neither does Emeralda."

"My apologies, Fei, I wanted to make sure there wasn't anything else in here. I get the feeling neither do Gaignun and Jr," Citan guessed as Gaignun quickly guided Jr out of the room.

"Ah… if anything, I can help look?" Shulk offered Citan. "I feel bad. I was excited to see this lab - I still am. But I… didn't think others would react this poorly to it. I'm sorry."

"That would be appreciated, Shulk," Citan answered, nodding. "I don't think it's my place to accept your apology for them…that might be better off saved for when we're outside of this lab."

"Ah… of course, you're right. Thank you," the young engineer smiled, sounding relieved.

Jr took a few deep breaths before letting go of Gaignun's arm. "S…Sorry, I'm…I'm getting flashbacks."

"So am I. I hope that's all we'll run into down here," Gaignun admitted.

The right-side hall awaited the group. The door with the four lights on it now had a red light powered on. Still no sign of Alphys, however…

"I'm guessing we'll need the other keys." Shion spoke, noticing the red light now lit up. "I suppose they operate this door."

"I'm assuming the rest of the keys are past that hall, then."

Jin paused, peering down the right-side hall. "…it's clear. There's just a few panels there."

"No enemies? Thank goodness." MOMO gave a relieved smile. "Thank you, Jin! Ziggy, everyone, let's get going."

Ziggy nodded, deciding to stay close to MOMO, MOMO looking grateful for his protection.

Elly decided to read the panels as they approached them this time. The first one read: 'nothing is happening. i don't know what to do. i'll just keep injecting everything with "determination." i want this to work.'

The second one read: 'one of the bodies opened its eyes.'

Gaignun and Jr remained silent as Elly read the entries, though Jr still looked upset, noticeably. He chose to stay close to Gaignun, looking around every few seconds.

The room past the hall held multiple beds, and a single dog dish in a nearby corner. One of the beds had its covers pushed towards the edge of the bed, while the others looked as though they hadn't been used in a while.

"Ugh," Jr winced, glancing at the beds. "This place makes me feel so sick. I don't like this at all."

"It makes me feel… nervous being here." Emeralda mumbled in agreement.

Gaignun murmured in agreement. chaos couldn't help but look at Jr, Gaignun, Fei, and Emeralda in concern, frowning.

"Would you four rather stay here? I could stay with you until the others retrieved the other keys."

"Stay here?" Fei rose a brow. "I don't know how I feel about splitting up with the others, honestly…"

"Even so…none of you seem comfortable down here. Do you need to at least talk?" chaos offered.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," Dunban added. "But…we're here, if anything."

"That's… kind of you to offer, honestly." Jr spoke, feeling slightly relieved by the kindness of his friends. "Thank you. But I… I'll go on. I can't just sit here and do nothing…"

"…I…I agree with Jr. As tempting as it is to just…stay here, I…I would feel guilty knowing this was holding me back from helping Alphys," Gaignun said.

chaos nodded, then turned to Fei and Emeralda. "Do you two want to say here? I'm more than happy to stay with you two in case of trouble."

Emeralda seemed quiet for a moment, holding onto Fei's arm tightly. "…I go… where he goes…" she spoke, her voice muffled from under her red scarf.

"…I'd want to stay here, honestly," Fei spoke, "but I'm tired of running away. And if something were to happen, I'd rather have my friends there supporting me. Thank you though, chaos. Truly."

chaos nodded. "You're welcome. We're here in case any of you need something."

Another panel was on the north wall, flickering to life as Citan approached it.

"What does this say…'Everyone that had fallen down… … has woken up. They're all walking around and talking like nothing is wrong. I thought they were goners…?'"

"Remarkable," Shulk found himself saying, his fascination again resurfacing. "Were they able to bring the dead back to life…?"

"…something had gone wrong, I believe, if that last encounter and the sticky seats are any indication," Citan guessed. "Even if she did…I don't think it stayed well for long. Especially if it's led to this."

"That's true. That's-" The scientist paused for a moment. "…Those creatures we saw before… you don't think those were the results of this experiment, do you…?"

"That's a chilling thought." Rico confessed, his fur standing on end.

"I'm not sure what they could have been, otherwise. They were unlike anything we had ever seen before, after all. Unless, of course, there's someone else we've yet to run into in the underground who doesn't like the idea of a group of grown adults roaming around," Citan added.

Nearby was another hall, and a familiar glowing point of light. Gaignun felt the urge to go near it, even if Yuriev would have said some snarky comment about Gaignun feeling afraid of the lab.

As if on command, he heard Yuriev's voice speak to him as he neared the glowing point of light. _Is that your shining beacon of hope? Does this lab bring back bad memories? What a terrible son you are… to fear a place to similar to where your father so lovingly raised you._

Jr glanced at Gaignun momentarily, as though something tugged at him in worry to do so. "You alright, Gaignun…?"

Gaignun tried not to scowl at Yuriev's comment. 'The cat I had was more loving to me than you were.'

"…I'm alright," he spoke aloud. "I…wish we could leave here as soon as possible, though."

"…Same here." was Jr's only response, the red haired gunslinger glancing at the ground. "…Come on. Let's… get a move on."

Gaignun nodded, walking into the next hall. Two more panels hung on the wall, flickering on as they were approached.

The closest one read: 'Seems like this research was a dead end… But at least we got a happy ending out of it…? I sent the SOULS and the vessel back to ASGORE. And I called all of the families and told them everyone's alive. I'll send everyone back tomorrow. :)'

"A happy ending…" Melia brought her hands close to her chest, her fingers entwined. "Aizel, Hogard, Garan, Damil…" she muttered, "If only you four could be back by my side once more, too. …Somehow, I am doubtful that this research was as successful as this particular panel claims. Such miracles would be a godsend."

"…there's another panel," Jin quietly pointed out. "I'm worried…"

He approached the next panel.

It read: 'no No NO NO NO NO'

"…As I feared." Melia spoke, Sharla trying to comfort her.

"I… I admit, I'm scared to see the rest of what these panels have to say," MOMO spoke.

"Same here," Shion mumbled, gripping her hands together.

The hall went down the left for a while, another hall splitting off to the north beside the left-most exit.

Emeralda glanced up at Fei, tugging on the man's shirt. "…Fei's Kim. Which way… do we go?" she seemed nervous, but willing to trust his guidance.

"The…The north hall. It seems smaller…"

The north hall held…some sort of tentacle-like appendage waving behind a shower curtain in a bathtub. If approached, it would start to speed up…

Many of the group became fearful to approach it. "Ugh, what is that…!?" Billy exclaimed.

KOS-MOS, bravely and wordlessly, stepped forward to examine the bathtub and what could be behind it.

The tentacle seemed to vanish when the shower curtain was pulled back, leaving a green key behind. There was no sign the tentacle was even there in the first place…

KOS-MOS glanced around, left and right, to check for any escape route for the tentacle, but found… nothing. Dismissing it, she bent down and gathered the blue key. "I have obtained an item, Shion."

"Is…Is it a key, KOS-MOS? Where did that tentacle go?" Shion wondered.

"I really don't think that's a question that needs to be answered here…" Reyn muttered.

KOS-MOS seemed to agree. "I could not find where it went. I am sorry, Shion."

"Honestly, it might be for the best." Citan spoke. "Finding a key is far more valuable a reward than a tentacle, at any rate."

"Let's…Let's head toward the left-side exit now, I…I don't want to see if that thing comes back," Gaignun prompted, anxiously looking towards the entryway.

"You and me, both." Fei nodded, the duo hurriedly rushing out of the room with Emeralda and Jr not too far behind.

"He's so on edge…" Elly noticed. "Fei…"

Fiora winced. "Those four…I wonder what they've been through to be so afraid of this place?"

The left-side exit led to a room with what looked like a skeletal form of Flowey's Omega form, pincer-like mouth and all. A glowing point blocked the way to a panel, and another room was to the north of the point.

"What is that thing?" Shulk questioned, glancing at the monstrous looking contraption. Was it biological? Mechanical? Shulk felt hauntingly compelled to approach and study it, nearing the glowing light as his eyes remained locked on the contraption. He was entirely fixated on it, and didn't seem to notice that the glowing point started to change ever so slightly at his approach.

Gaignun cringed seeing the machine, taking a step back when he realized just what it looked like. Why would Flowey's other form look like this machine? Did this place have something to do with Flowey?

"…! Shulk, watch out!" he called out, dashing forward as the point began to lose its color.

The normally calm feeling of being near one of those points vanished in an instant as the point began to mutate into a grotesque, unfathomable form, quite similar in nature to how the other creatures they had encountered felt.

Gaignun's warning was enough to finally bring Shulk back to his senses, the seer trying to gather his surroundings. "What?" he questioned, turning only to see a pair of large, sharp teeth suddenly looming above him. The seer wanted to let out a horrified scream and yelp, Gaignun supposed, but found himself both breathless and wordless.

Gaignun had instead taken the initiative, grabbing Shulk as he finally reached him, and dragging the boy near him protectively. Shulk gripped fiercely onto Gaignun's suit, burying his head in Gaignun's chest in sheer fear as the teeth went down to chomp on the two. Gaignun closed his eyes, preparing for pain but… felt nothing - he had luckily managed to pull the two into a spot which had a gap between the sharp teeth.

 _Playing hero now, are we…?_ Yuriev commented to Gaignun. _Don't go injuring my body now._

Gaignun elected to ignore Yuriev, he had enough to deal with right now without Yuriev's comments.

"S…Shulk, are you alright?" he asked. "I saw that thing start to transform, and you were so fixated on that machine…!"

Fiora and Shion dashed over, ready to try to protect Gaignun and Shulk. The monster before them had a large maw filled with sharp teeth and a slimy body…or was that sweat?

"I… I-I'm fine…" Shulk spoke, still gripping onto Gaignun's shirt as he pulled his head back. "Sorry, I… don't know what came over me… you're not hurt either, right?"

"I-I'm fine, I'm fine," Gaignun answered, nodding shakily.

"Let's just get you two to safety," Ziggy commented, he and Rico quickly heading in to carry the two backwards, into less dangerous ground.

"What is this thing…?" Shion questioned, tempted to attack - she held herself back from doing so, however, remembering that this was not a malicious being… but most likely the product of a series of terrible experiments.

"Please, I don't want to fight," Fiora spoke, pleading with the being before her. "Please, let us pass."

The monster looked at Fiora and Shion, narrowing its eyes. It opened its mouth to speak, and it was as though twelve different voices started talking at once.

" **Welcome to my special hell,** " it responded, preparing to try to bite Fiora and Shion.

The two girls seemed to freeze up in fear, hearing such an uncanny, terrifying voice. Special hell? Just how horrid were these experiments?

"Watch out!" Maria cried out to the two as the creature went in to bite them. The duo thankfully were able to roll out of the way in time, just narrowing avoiding disaster.

"Listen…!" Shion spoke, "We just want to help you…!"

The monster seemed to hesitate at Shion's offer of help. "…that's what they all say," it answered, shaking its head.

Shion seemed to pause, then looked over at Fiora. "Fiora, what if we hummed?"

"Hummed? Well…why not, I suppose," Fiora decided.

The two started to hum the tune Shyren and hummed before at Waterfall. The monster's eyes widened as Shion hummed. " **Shyren? That's her song!** "

It seemed humming struck a chord in the monster. Quite literally. The monster seemed to calm down, quietly whining as they heard the two hum. " **Shyren…I miss her so much…** "

It was starting to dawn on Gaignun that the creature before them was…was someone once, they must have known Shyren..but what happened to them to turn them into such a…monster?

"You miss her…?" Fiora's voice grew worried, and solemn. "I'm sure Shyren misses you, too…"

Gaignun watched on, lost in thought. Was this the horrid results of the experiments they had read about here? How… horrible, tragic, how-

 _Remarkable._ Yuriev's voice chimed in. _As that boy you saved once said. Turning these worthless creatures who would run at the sight of a mere human into a far more effective weapon. If only you URTVs were as successful as these creatures._

'Shut up!' Gaignun silently shouted. 'This is in no way an improvement for them! Why would you ever think this did them any good?!'

 _Why wouldn't I?_ Yuriev calmly responded, seemingly happy to rile up Gaignun. _There is no need for a weapon to have emotions… nor is there a need for monsters to have them. As effective as these are, they still seem too sentimental. A failure. Much like you Variants._

" **I remember now…I fell down one day, then…Dr. Alphys…** "

The monster drooped. " **She said we could go home before we became like this. And now we're stuck like this…** "

"Dr. Alphys?" Shion's voice was filled with pity. "So… she was the one who…" her eyes grew soft. "…You poor thing. I'm so sorry… I can't even begin to imagine what you've gone through…"

" **It's not her fault. No one knew what determination could do to us. We…We will be going now.** "

The monster vanished into the ground, leaving the party be.


	23. True Lab: Gaignun part 2

**This is the longest chapter I have so far, a-ahaha...**

 **Major Xenosaga spoilers up ahead, be careful reading!**

* * *

"Gaignun?" Jr prompted, turning to his brother once more. "You're tensing up… are you sure you weren't hurt back there…?"

"I-I'm fine! I'm just fine, I…I was just unsettled by how they left, it…it reminded me somewhat of Flowey," Gaignun answered, shaking his head. chaos quietly glanced at Gaignun, but said nothing.

"…Alright." Jr quietly answered. He didn't seem to confident in Gaignun's response, noticeably.

Yuriev could only snicker at Gaignun once more. _Lying to your own brother? I never raised you like that._

"I wonder how many creatures like that are down here." MOMO pondered aloud. "They all seem so… sad…"

"That would raise the question of how long they've all been down here… how long…?" Jin wondered.

The room to the north held a machine with an empty, yellow slot, two bookcases filled with tapes, a TV, and a VHS player with five tapes beside it, labeled one through five.

"What this?" Riki questioned, he and his group staring at the tapes quizzically. "It not look like it for eating!"

"Yes, quite." Melia nodded in agreement. "It does not look like any sort of food I've ever seen."

"That's because it's not," chaos calmly responded, shaking his head. "These are videotapes. They have films in them. They're primitive forms of recording, interestingly…"

"Very primitive," Shion added, walking up to the VHS player and picking up the tape labeled 'tape 1'. "I wonder what's on these tapes…do you think we should spare a few minutes and watch what's on them?"

"I don't see how it can hurt," Dunban gave a nod. "We may very well learn much from these… tapes."

Sharla seemed to agree, smiling as she spoke. "Yes. And I, for one, would love to see how this technology works."

"Alright, then."

Shion put in the first tape, turning on the TV and pressing a few buttons on the VHS player. The screen was pitch black, but…

"Pssst. Gorey, wake up."

Toriel's voice came out of the speakers. It was a welcome sound for Gaignun, even if it was just a recording of sorts.

"This is a recording?" Reyn gave a small gasp, surprised by how it worked. "How bizarre…"

"Shh," Shulk hushed his friend. "Let's listen on."

"Gorey, dearest, what is my favorite vegetable?" Toriel asked.

"Hmm…carrots, right?" Asgore guessed, sounding sleepy.

"No no no! My favorite vegetable is…eda-MOM-e!…get it?"

There was a pause, then Asgore mumbling "Go back to bed, dear."

Shion started giggling at Toriel's pun, raising a hand to her mouth. Bart made a displeased noise, shaking his head.

"Eda-mom-e? I'm afraid I don't know what kind of vegetable that is…" Fiora whispered, looking troubled.

"You guys are so uncultured," Bart remarked, deciding to make no further comment.

"Bart, cut them some slack!" Billy replied, huffing.

"Sorry," Bart grumbled under his breath; he didn't seem at all too apologetic, though.

"Now, if I were a dog, what breed of dog would I be?" Toriel asked.

"Hmm…I don't know, honey, what breed of dog would you be?" Asgore replied.

"I would be…A MOMERANIAN."

"I'm surprised Toriel didn't crack more puns in our presence now," Rico remarked, chuckling.

"Ah… perhaps it's because she just didn't feel too comfortable in the presence of strangers." Ziggy noted to Rico. "Human strangers, at that." Funny as the jokes were, Ziggy didn't seem to crack even a smile, something that Jr took notice of.

"Hey, old man," Jr spoke up, "it wouldn't kill you to laugh a little. You know that was funny!"

"Even so…Jr, that's not…" Ziggy began.

"Hush, hush, I can't hear anything with chu guys talking!" Chu-Chu squeaked.

"You know, if you keep making jokes like these, one day you could be…a famous MOMedian!" Asgore cracked.

There was a pause, then Toriel saying "Well, I am going to bed."

"Hey! Come on, Tori, that one was funny!" Asgore protested.

"Haha, I know. I am only teasing you. Good night, dear."

"Good night, honey."

And that was where the first tape ended.

"Huh, that was a rather short tape." Fei noted.

"That was…" Fiora began, a smile growing on her face. "Dear? So Asgore and Toriel… they were a couple? Isn't that just adorable, Shulk?"

Shulk nodded. "I suppose. They must have been close once."

Fiora seemed a little frustrated by Shulk's response, but made no further comment about it. Shion exchanged the tapes and put in the second tape. Again, the screen remained dark, but a soft voice came out of the speakers.

"Okay, Chara, are you ready? Do your creepy face!"

"Chara…?" MOMO questioned. That was a new name, Gaignun quietly noted. Shion looked nostalgic for a brief moment before shaking her head.

"AHHHHH! Hee hee hee!"

There was a pause. "…oh! Wait! I had the lens cap on…what?! You're not gonna do it again? Come on, quit tricking me! Haha!" The tape ended there.

"Who was that child? Could that have been…" Gaignun began.

"Wish we could get a glimpse of what they looked like." Reyn commented. "I suppose that kind of technology is a bit too advanced, huh?"

"The lens cap was on, it…well, if it was off, we would have seen their faces, or at least Chara's face," Shion explained as she put in the next tape.

Once again, the screen was dark, but they could hear the child from before.

"Howdy, Chara! Smile for the camera!"

"A lens cap?" Shulk questioned. "What's the point of covering a machine meant for recording? …Ah…" he decided to silence himself, listening to the next tape. The mention of the word 'Howdy' made Gaignun wince, tensing up for a moment.

"Ha! This time I got YOU! I left the cap on…ON PURPOSE! Now you're smiling for no reason! Hee hee hee!"

There was a muffled response. "What? Oh yeah, I remember. When we tried to make butterscotch pie for dad right? The recipe asked for cups of butter, but we accidentally put in buttercups…those flowers got him really sick. I felt so bad, we made mom really upset…I should have laughed it off, like you did."

"…Buttercups?" Jin questioned, looking horrified as he heard the tape play on.

"Those yellow flowers, right?" Bart nodded. "I would've gotten sick too, that sounds like it'd make for a disgusting tasting pie."

"Um, where are you going with this? Huh? Turn off the camera…? Okay…"

The tape ended there.

Fiora looked at Jin. "What's wrong with buttercups? Those flowers don't grow on Bionis…"

Melia nodded. "They sound pretty," she added.

"And they are," Jin responded. "However, they are also unhealthy if ingested. For them to put buttercups into that pie…would lead to poisoning, and sometimes death."

"Wait, what?! Why would anyone eat them…?!" Shulk asked. Shion put in the next tape, a surprisingly grim look on her face.

"I…I don't like this idea, Chara…"

Gaignun felt a sinking feeling in his chest. Just what was this 'Chara' planning?

"Wh-What? N-No, I'm not…b-big kids don't cry. Y-You're right…no! I'd never doubt you, Chara! Never…"

There was a pause. "…Y-Yeah! We'll be strong! We'll free everyone…I'll go get the flowers."

The tape ended there. A grim atmosphere filled the room.

"…Get the flowers?" Elly spoke, breaking the silence. "…Did…did they know? Chara? They were…a child, weren't they? Then why…would…"

"…they likely only knew when he poisoned their father, I'm betting," Citan guessed, a dour look on his face. "Why, though?…I don't know if that's a question that could be answered. Not here, at least. There's one more tape…"

"I don't really want to watch it." Jr admitted, a pained expression on his face. Gaignun felt his pain, this was bringing back memories of Yuriev's facility, and they had tried to put those memories behind them for a reason. "…But let's get it over with. We might get some answers out of it."

"Right, then."

Shion put in the last tape. As before, the screen was dark, but Toriel was the first to start speaking.

"Chara…can you hear me? We want you to wake up…"

Asgore spoke next. "Chara! You have to stay determined! You can't give up…you are the future of humans and monsters!"

Jr clenched his hands into fists, his expression twisting. So Chara likely ate buttercups after all…

The voice from the previous tapes spoke last.

"Psst…Chara, please wake up…I-I don't like this plan anymore…no, I…I said I'd never doubt you. Six, right? We just have to get six…and we'll do it together, right?"

The tape ended there. Gaignun's expression was unreadable as he stared at the screen.

"Six…" Sharla mused, quietly. "Six human souls…? Seven were needed to get through, right? Then… was one of these… did a human give their life to be the first soul…?"

"…No, I…I don't think that was it. Remember the story the monsters told us in the capital? How the prince absorbed the human's soul and passed through the barrier? I…I think that was Asriel and the first human that fell down here…" Shion guessed, head lowered.

"The prince…" Melia gave a small gasp. "That's right. Asriel… their parents were Toriel and Asgore. KING Asgore, making him the prince… that's…he's…" she paused, looking hurt. "…How horrible…"

"I…believe it's safe to say Chara's soul wasn't used for the barrier, if Asriel absorbed it and then perished," Citan guessed.

"…Chara was…was planning their own death…just to try to help the monsters?" Gaignun murmured, horrified.

"Those… poor children…" Billy mumbled, closing his eyes and bowing his head.

A muffled sound escaped from Jr as he turned to leave the room, seemingly having heard enough of this tragic tale.

"Jr…? H-Hey, are you okay?" Maria asked, following after him. Riki looked around the room, and made an 'ah!' noise as he spotted a note. The writing was barely legible, but it read 'under…sheets…'

"Come on, Riki," Melia spoke, after Riki had read the note. "Let's get going. I think Jr needs some support right now."

"Riki found note! Note might be clue!" Riki responded, holding up the note.

"Oh! That's wonderful, Riki!" Melia smiled, scooping Riki and the note into her arms. "Thank you."

"Heropon happy to help~" Riki chirped, proud of himself.

Gaignun chose to follow after Jr, wordlessly. "…will you be alright?"

Jr gave an exhausted sigh, shoulders drooping. "…I think I will be, yeah. Sorry. I just…felt uncomfortable hearing all of that."

"…I understand. I…I felt uncomfortable as well," Gaignun admitted, shuddering.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that, too…" Jr frowned, finding himself reaching out for Gaignun's sleeve to hold for comfort. "…I just…really want out of here now."

Gaignun let Jr hold his sleeve. "…same here. We…We can't be too far from getting out of here, we just need to find a few more keys for that door…"

"I think we might run into more of those monsters, though," MOMO pointed out. "There were so many beds in that room…"

"You don't think those were all filled with those…monsters, do you?" questioned Fei, holding Emeralda's hand.

"What else?" Citan replied. "While it's likely human souls were involved in these experiments…I don't think it's likely the monsters were willing to experiment on a human when they had their soul just within their grasp, never mind that Alphys has yet to mention an actual human being used in her experiments."

"Doc…" Fei droned on, shaking his head. A part of him vehemently wanted to deny the reality of the situation, and yet…

"Riki found note!" Riki quickly interrupted. "Riki think note is a clue!"

Melia nodded, kindly taking the note from Riki to show it to the others. "It says 'Under Sheets'… do you think something was in that room with the beds?"

"I'd say so," Maria guessed. "It would be worth a try, at any rate…though there's multiple beds, it would take us forever to look for something…"

"There's multiple beds, but there's also tons of us." Dunban smiled. "Let's simply split the task up; it shouldn't take us too long."

"Right!"

Maria dashed back to the room with the beds. Nothing had changed, seemingly…if anything, Gaignun felt rather relieved about that. It meant that nothing else had gone through here…well, hopefully. "Alright. Let's get to work, everyone."

"Right…!" Fiora responded, getting to work searching the beds.

After what felt like half an hour of searching, Chu-Chu seemed to find something, pulling over the blankets and squeaking, "Chu guys! I found a key!"

"Really, Chu-Chu?" Shion asked, looking up. "You found one?"

"Well, that's one key down, then, and…two more to go, right?" Billy asked.

"So it would seem," Citan nodded. "We're halfway through this, at least. Let's take solace in that."

"Right…I think next we should head towards the eastern hall closest to the beds. I have a feeling we'll find something there," Jin agreed.

"Hopefully nothing hostile," Billy replied, nodding.

Gaignun lagged behind the group as they walked into the next room, gaze focused on the ground. He and Jr stayed close to one another as they walked into the next room.

The next room was filled with old flowers, some mirrors lining the wall. There were a few more panels in this room…

The flowers looked quite…familiar, Gaignun realized. He had seen these flowers before, hadn't he?

'Howdy! I'm Flowey! Flowey the Flower!'

Yellow flowers… of course. How could he ever forget? That wicked, yellow flower by the name of Flowey…

"Gaignun? Something wrong?" Jr questioned, looking up at him.

"…the flowers, they…Flowey…" Gaignun stammered, unsure of what to say.

His gaze darted around the room, trying to find something to distract himself. Shulk was staring at his reflection in a mirror, an indescribable look on his face.

Shion approached a panel on a wall. "'We'll need a vessel to wield the monster SOULs when the time comes. After all, a monster cannot absorb the SOULs of other monsters. Just as a human cannot absorb a human SOUL…so then…what about something that's neither human nor monster?'"

"A vessel?" Shulk spoke up, torn away by the mirror for a second. He seemed somehow… upset hearing that.

"….Something neither human nor monster?" Citan rose a brow, glancing at the row of flowers before them. "…I wonder…"

"There…There's another panel, I'm worried…" Shion confessed, approaching the next one. "What does this say…'experiments on the vessel are a failure. it doesn't seem to be any different from the control cases. whatever. they're a hassle to work with anyway. the seeds just stick to you, and won't let go…'"

"Seeds?" Jin seemed to be coming to the same conclusion that Citan had. "They used a flower as a vessel…?"

"Neither human or monster…there's a hall down this way, I bet we'll learn more…" Melia guessed. The hall before them had several mirrors in a row near another entryway.

The group proceeded ahead; yet, the feeling of being watched never left. As they continued ahead, they seemed to fail to notice one mirror in particular with an unchanging reflection.

A small exclamation point appeared above Gaignun's head before it morphed into a face, then into some sort of…bird? It was taller than anyone in the party, beak snapping as it stared at the humans with one eye.

Gaignun took several steps back, eyes wide. "W-What…?!"

"Y-Yipes!" Reyn gave a frightful exclamation, jolting backwards, drawing his weapon out of what Gaignun assumed was instinct. "What on Bionis…!? That thing looks terrifying!"

The bird seemed to speak in three different voices at once before…some sort of bird-like figure appeared next to it. Suddenly, butterflies swarmed the second bird's head, and it grasped its head in agony.

"What's going on!?" Shion questioned, clinging tightly to KOS-MOS out of fear and… concern for the creature before her. "It… it's in pain…"

"Shion? I notice you are distressed," KOS-MOS realized.

"N-No kidding! What the hell is that thing?!" Reyn shouted, back pressed against the wall. The butterflies turned their attention away from the bird-like thing they were attacking, swarming the party.

"G-Get them away, get them away!" Shulk exclaimed in fear, huddling to himself as he kept to the ground. Gaignun staggered forward, forcing himself to try to shield Shulk from the butterflies. He hissed in pain as they struck his back, shaking as he took the blows.

The bird tilted its head, looking at the humans curiously. It seemed surprised they weren't attacking.

"Gaignun…!" Jr cried out, upset. He seemed close to drawing his guns, but held off as he glared at the new monster. "Damnit, just leave us alone! We don't want to fight!"

"S…Shulk, are you okay?" Gaignun asked. "Y…You froze up…"

"I-I'm…" Shulk managed to stammer out, gripping into the tube he wore around his neck tightly. "F… F-Fine, I just… that terrified me…"

"G-Good to hear. B…Be careful…" Gaignun replied, relieved.

"Will…will do. Thank you for helping me again…" Shulk spoke with sincere gratitude, wiping away a few small tears that he had shed.

The monster replied in three different voices, everything sounding jumbled together. Nothing could easily be picked out from the tangled voice…

Shion seemed to pause, straightening up a little, before looking over at KOS-MOS. She gave a pleading smile, curling her hand as she made a small "Nya?" sound.

"Nya?" KOS-MOS responded, tonelessly.

Shion nodded. "Y'know… nya…"

The bird seemed mystified by the 'Nya', coming closer to Shion out of curiosity.

Shion had a delighted glint in her eyes. It was working…! "Nya, nya…!"

"Nya?" KOS-MOS blinked, cat ears spurting up from her head and a tail flowing from her skirt. "I comprehend, nya." she spoke with a nod, glancing at the bird-like creature, tail wagging.

Several people couldn't help but stare at Shion and KOS-MOS, first at the cat ears, then at the tail. Even the bird monster was staring.

"…so, uh…that's…normal for KOS-MOS?" Billy asked.

chaos gave a small laugh. "Yes, it is, unfortunately… it's a little bug we've been unable to work out the fixes to."

KOS-MOS nodded at the bird. "How can I help you, nya?"

The bird chirped, tilting its head. It looked mystified…it has a lot to learn from this world, Gaignun guessed.

"…honestly, I don't know what to make of that…" Dunban admitted.

"Nya?" KOS-MOS tilted her head in curiosity. Still, she and Shion both seemed happy that the bird seemed hesitant to attack… even if their comrades seemed baffled.

The bird hesitated for a few moments, before saying, as well as it could, " _ **Nya?**_ "

"…you taught the monster how to say 'nya'. I'm…speechless," Bart commented.

"I don't know," MOMO giggled. "It's somewhat of an accomplishment, too. I mean… we taught it something, isn't that great?"

"Might be if it wasn't such a useless thing, nya." Bart growled, before pausing. "Great, you're having me do it, too."

The mood seemed lightened with the 'nya's going around. The bird seemed amused, repeating 'nya' a few more times. Eventually, the bird seemed placated. The voices became more distinct now…

"Ribbit, ribbit." " _Thank you, humans._ " " **You didn't pick on me…** "

The bird vanished, leaving no trace of it behind.

"Ah… you're welcome!" Maria called out to the bird as it vanished. "Goodbye!"

"I wonder if the poor thing was just confused," Melia spoke, sounding somewhat sorrowful.

"I bet. I wonder what monsters that thing was made out of…" Reyn answered.

"It made a ribbit sound, so… a frog, perhaps? For one part of it, anyways…" Rico mused.

"Gaignun? Are you okay? You took a hit to the back," Jin asked, approaching Gaignun.

"Me? Y-Yes, I'm fine," Gaignun responded, with a nod. In truth, his back was searing in burning pain, but he did not want to drag down the others.

"Are you sure? Gaignun, I would rather not have you running around with injuries…" Jin asked.

"I'm sure…" he responded, only to let out a wince as he tried to move. "…Alright… not that sure…"

"Easy, let me help," Jin tried to soothe, examining Gaignun's back. Several small cuts were on his back, one or two dripping blood…

Gaignun couldn't help but squirm a little. "Well?"

"It's not too bad, thankfully," Jin chuckled, "But it needs healing nevertheless. I don't want these wounds opening. It's nothing some ether can't help cure."

"Please," Shulk frowned, "Treat his injuries well. This is the second time he's saved me."

"Thank goodness. I thought it would be somewhat worse than that from how much it hurt," Gaignun admitted.

"It's surprising how something so small could hurt so much," Jin admitted, as he carefully got to tending to Gaignun's wounds. "Much like the papercuts of old."

"R-Right–" Gaignun answered before wincing in pain at his wounds being treated. 'Ow, ow, ow, owwwww…'

Jr could only chuckle over their mental link as he heard Gaignun wince in pain. 'Thank goodness it's not too bad an injury… but please, let me take the hits for you next time, okay…? I'm used to it.'

'Sorry, I reacted without thinking. Didn't want Shulk getting hurt,' Gaignun apologized.

Jr huffed. 'I'm sure he could have taken a few hits. With that big sword thing of his, I'm pretty sure he's used to combat, too.'

'Still, I reacted without thinking…sorry.'

Jr sighed, before shaking his head and smiling. 'It's alright, Gaignun. I'm just glad you're safe…!'

"Shulk, are you okay? You froze up, I didn't think we'd see…" Reyn began.

"Please, not another word, Reyn," Shulk responded, shuddering. "I feel so ashamed…"

Reyn winced. "Sorry. It's nothing to be ashamed about, you were scared!"

"Don't worry. No harm done. I just…" he gave a small sigh, shaking his head. "Nevermind. Thank you, Reyn." he smiled, feeling happy to have Reyn's support.

"No problem, Shulk. Hey, there's another entryway…" Reyn noted. "Wonder what's in here."

"I suppose we should investigate." Fei nodded, before shivering. "And hope that we don't run into anything else. I think Emeralda's getting scared."

Shion peered into the room. There was a machine for putting in the blue key, but nothing else…

"Anything inside there?" Elly questioned, peering in along with Shion.

"A machine for putting in the blue key! One second…" Shion answered, putting in the blue key. The machine started shining.

"There we go! We should head toward that other hall near that machine…"

"Right," Ziggy gave a nod. "Jr, is Gaignun alright to proceed with us? Did you want me to carry him?"

"I can–"

Gaignun winced as he stood up too fast, placing one hand on the mirror to steady himself. "…I…I might need some help, please."

Ziggy nodded once more. "Very well. I-"

"Please," Shulk intervened, "Let me help him. It's the least I could do."

"With all do respect," Ziggy shook his head, "I can easily carry him on my own. It would be much faster this way. Though I'm sure he appreciates your sentiments."

"Yeah, and…Shulk, you're a bit…shorter than Gaignun. I don't think you could carry him," Bart pointed out.

"I do appreciate you wanting to help me, Shulk, I assure you," Gaignun said quickly, nodding.

Shulk gave an embarrassed expression. "I didn't mean to carry him, just support him… but you're right, ah, Bart."

"See?" Ziggy smiled, as he carefully, yet skillfully lifted Gaignun. "I believe the best way you can repay Gaignun is to help look out for the others."

Shulk nodded. "I'll keep an eye out for him, then! I promise, Gaignun!"

It was back to the earlier hall they went. The room to the east of the bizarre machine held another panel, and several fans turned off, making the room foggy.

The panel read: 'now that mettaton's made it big, he never talks to me anymore. … except to ask when i'm going to finish his body. but i'm afraid if i finish his body, he won't need me anymore… then we'll never be friends ever again. … not to mention, every time i try to work on it, i just get really sweaty…'

"Finish his body?" Billy rose a brow. "He could speak before he was completed?"

"I bet she was referring to that form we fought when we…flipped his switch," Maria guessed. "The boxy form was probably his original body…"

"It's likely, if not a certainty. This room is so foggy, is there a switch in here?" Citan wondered, feeling his way around the room.

"Yes!" Riki's voice chimed in. "Riki see switch here! Should Riki press switch for big green friend?"

"Of course, Riki, that would be appreciated," Citan answered.

Gaignun cautiously looked around. While it hadn't been that long since they had encountered one of the monsters…would another one appear in here?

Gaignun hoped not - he would have moved closer to Jr, had he not been held by Ziggy.

Riki happily flipped the switch, causing the machines to activate, clearing up the area. "Finally! Riki see better!"

The fog was cleared, but it now revealed white pieces floating in the air, mashing together to form an orb with a smiley face on it for a few moments before transforming into a giant, blobby dog with several legs. A hole served for its face…

Gaignun cringed seeing it only had a hole for a face. Okay, this was…a bit much…

Melia and Jr gave a horrified expression seeing the strange 'dog' before them. "What…. what happened to its face…!?" Melia exclaimed, trembling slightly.

"I-Is that…that thing one of the monsters that Alphys…" Gaignun began. The dog tilted its head, curiously approaching the humans.

"Evidently, it is," Ziggy spoke, standing defensively before MOMO and setting Gaignun down near her.

The dog was currently judging the party, trying to understand just what was in front of it. There was some sort of liquid leaking from the hole in its face…it soon summoned a smaller dog with a similar hole in its face, arrows shooting out of the hole.

"Wh-What in the world?!" Reyn yelped, using his weapon to shield himself and whoever else could gather near him. A few in the group made attempts to dodge the arrows, and KOS-MOS simply swatted at them with her hands, knocking them aside, out of harm's way.

"R-Riki scared of spooky dog!" Riki whimpered, ducking behind Reyn. "What wrong with dog?!"

The dog tried to get closer to the party, a distorted whine coming from it.

"Pet it…?" Shion mumbled aloud, a confused look in her eyes. Ziggy rose a brow, hearing that risky suggestion. Regardless, he decided to give it a try, nodding and approaching the strange dog.

"MOMO, stay put, alright?"

MOMO nodded. "I-I will, Ziggy! Be careful!" she responded.

"W-Wait, you're seriously going to pet it? Really…?" Sharla asked, surprised.

"I will," Ziggy nodded. It had worked for the large dog they saw before… Greater Dog, wasn't it? Hopefully, it would work for this… Stranger Dog. He cautiously approached the dog. "Easy now…"

The dog started to…vibrate at Ziggy approaching it, its tail wagging furiously. If Ziggy went through with petting it, he would find it was furry and surprisingly cold to the touch.

Ziggy did indeed cautiously pet it; he was surprised by how cold it was. Somehow, it made Ziggy pity him. He wished he could bring warmth to it. "There… there there. We're not here to hurt you…"

The dog gave a pleased rumble, some sort of happiness froth being generated from its mouth. It seemed to enjoy being pet.

Shion hummed in thought for a moment before looking around. "Does anyone have a stick…?"

"Riki do!" the Nopon chimed, happily handing a spare stick over to her.

"Th…Thank you, Riki," Shion thanked before tossing the stick a little ways away from the dog. The dog's ears perked up, and it bounded after the stick. It dropped it at Shion's feet, vibrating even faster than before. It seemed…proud of itself?

"So it still thinks like a dog…" Melia realized.

Riki gave a surprise gasp. "So… we can tame dog beast?" the Nopon questioned. "We can make it not hurt us? We can spare it if we try…!"

Shion nodded. "It seems so…maybe if we just…"

She carefully pet the dog again, and it just seemed to vibrate even more in response, distorted barking coming from the hole in its face.

Jr gave a sickened expression, recoiling as he heard the distorted barking. He loved dogs, but this… this seemed like a gross experience for him. Gaignun could sense his pity for the poor thing. "Will… will it be okay…?"

"I…I really hope so…my goodness, what had to have happened to this poor dog?" Shion wondered. Eventually, the dog stopped vibrating, and it seemed the spaces between its leg looked content at being pet.

In truth, it only left the party a little more baffled as to the true nature of this strange dog. "I pity this poor creature," Melia frowned, finally mustering up the courage to pet the dog herself. It began to fade away as she pet it, as though it were conveying to the others that it would leave them be.

"…I agree. If it was another experiment…did something happen with the determination and the monsters to meld them together?" Elly wondered. "That dog looked like it was made up of other dogs, so…hm."

"Gaignun's frozen again, chu…" Chu-Chu noted, looking at Gaignun. He had just shut down the moment the amalgamate appeared, and hadn't moved or spoke at all…

"G…Gaignun?" Reyn spoke up, gently poking the older male. "Are you alright? Y'need a moment, buddy? You seem pale…"

Gaignun flinched at being touched, tensing up. "I…! I'm…I'm fine, th…that dog thing…"

He raised a hand to his head. "I'm sorry, I…I'm just not feeling well seeing these monsters wherever we go down here…"

"That's fine," Sharla spoke, hoping to be able to reassure Gaignun. He seemed so tense… "Hopefully, we'll be out of here soon. We'll keep you safe until then."

"Th-Thank you, Sharla, I appreciate hearing that…" Gaignun thanked as Ziggy helped him walk on.

The next destination was the room down the hall to the left, past the machine that resembled Flowey's powered up form. The room there held several fridges, and a few more panels for the party to read.

"It's quite chilly in here," MOMO shuddered slightly. Jr, without a moment's hesitation, took off his jacket and put it on MOMO. She gave a small gasp.

"Jr.!" she turned, with a frown. "Won't you be cold?"

"I'll be fine," Jr responded with a smile. "We hopefully won't be here long, anyways." he reminded, deciding to head over to the panel to give it a read - an excuse to tear himself away from MOMO before she could find a way to convince him to take his jacket back.

Gaignun couldn't help but smile at seeing Jr give his coat to MOMO. It was rather adorable to see, in all honesty.

The panel read: 'the families keep calling me to ask when everyone is coming home. what am i supposed to say? i don't even answer the phone anymore.'

Shulk's group seemed to look confused at the mention of a 'phone' but paid it no heed, understanding the importance of those words nonetheless. "Families were torn apart as a result of this experiment… I hadn't even realized that until now." Melia spoke in a soft tone, glancing down at the floor.

"I can't fault her for hesitating to answer," Shion admitted. "There's two more panels…"

The next one read: 'ASGORE left me five messages today. four about everyone being angry. one about this cute teacup he found that looks like me. thanks asgore.'

"I feel sorry for her," MOMO frowned, "Was she… all alone? She had no support, did she…? That's so sad…" she lamented, pulling Jr's jacket tightly around her.

Shion just quietly nodded before reading the last panel in the room: 'i spend all my time at the garbage dump now. it's my element.'

For a brief moment, it seemed as though one of the fridges in the room moved.

"Her… element? Her element is garbage?" Elly questioned, bringing to mind a certain commander. "…Trash." she murmured, and a guilty look appeared on her face. She didn't seem to notice the fridge moving, shaking a little, but Fei certainly did.

"Be careful, Elly," he frowned, stepping in front of her and cautiously approaching the fridge.

"I think it means she feels like garbage," Ziggy guessed, crossing his arms.

Upon inspection, the fridge seemed entirely normal. It held a few scientific samples of some sort, but there was nothing else within.

Fei gave a confused expression looking into the fridge. "…It seems empty," he frowned. "Sorry, Elly. I guess I was just seeing things."

"It's alright, Fei. I honestly hope we don't encounter any more of those monsters while we're here," Elly admitted.

If the party were to approach the western-most exit of the room, however…the fridge closest to it would start to shake…

Fei dismissed it as simply his imagination yet again. A small gasp from Maria made him turn around worriedly, however, and he was met with a strange, almost depressing looking creature. "Wh-what…?"

The air around the room felt somehow even more frigid than before.

The monster seemed to vaguely resemble a bird-like creature, but it looked like it was melting. Two vegetable-looking monsters served for its face…

"Sn…o…w…y…" it moaned, quietly.

"S…Snowy?" Shulk questioned; this cold room, this snow… it all felt so familiar to him. Yet, looking at this creature, he felt more sorrow than nostalgia. "…Are you alright…?"

The monster didn't answer. For a brief moment, a gust of wind appeared before it before simply dissipating–it hardly had the energy to use any magic or hurt the humans with it…

Nothing but silence permeated the air. "…You…" Elly frowned, taking a step towards the creature. "…You're suffering, aren't you…?"

The monster tried to back away from Elly, looking frightened. "Hu…mans…?" it responded. "Don't…come ne…ar me…"

Elly complied with it, taking a step away from the creature. "…I'm sorry," she spoke, as softly as she could. "I didn't mean to scare you. …Are you…do you want to talk…?"

The monster shook its head, drops of it scattering to the floor. "Sn…ow…y…where…is my…son?" it asked.

"Snowy…? This monster was someone's parent…" Dunban realized, raising a hand to his mouth.

"It's falling apart…" Shion winced. Was it that unstable…?

"I am afraid we do not know a 'Snowy'." KOS-MOS spoke, seemingly unphased by the condition of the creature.

The monster seemed heartbroken. "Sn…ow…y…"

Fiora winced. "Y…Your son…I'm sure he's okay. I'm…I'm sure he's alive…" she tried to assure.

"We can escort you outside to see him, if you would like." KOS-MOS continued speaking. "We can help you find him."

"KOS-MOS…?" Shion glanced at her, surprised - was she showing empathy?

"I…don't…know…doct…or said…can't…leave…" the monster admitted.

"…Can't leave…?" Emeralda spoke. "…It's a beautiful world outside…wherever your son is…I am sure he is doing wonderfully." she nodded, stepping away from Fei for a moment.

"H…Haha…tha…nk…you…humans…" the monster thanked before simply fading away, leaving another key of some sort in its place.

"…She's gone…" Emeralda frowned, bending down to pick up the key. "…I hope we find her son when we leave…I hope she can rest in peace." she muttered, handing the key over to Fei.

"…me too," Fei admitted. "That poor, poor thing…"

"R-Riki worried…something wrong with Gaignun!" Riki spoke up. Gaignun was clutching his head, shaking as he stared at the ground.

"G-Gaignun?" Jr winced, turning to him. "Gaignun, are you okay?!" he exclaimed, rushing to his side to try and help support him.

Gaignun didn't answer–he couldn't handle it anymore, this place reminded him too much of Yuriev's facility, too much of the Miltian Conflict, too much of everything from before the Foundation–

"D…Don't…" he hoarsely spoke.

"G-Gaignun…" Jr winced, feeling troubled by his brother's current emotional state. He knew very well what was most likely going through his mind, and opted to communicate telepathically instead. 'Are you going to be okay…? Gaignun, can I help you somehow…?'

'Don't come near me! I…I want to get out of here! I can't stand this place anymore!' Gaignun mentally shouted, causing Jr to flinch.

Riki slowly approached Gaignun. "Gaignun? Is human friend okay?" he asked, reaching out with one of his ear-wings.

"D-Don't touch him!" Jr exclaimed towards Riki, though he was a little too late in being able to pull the Heropon back - Riki's ear-wings gently brushed against Gaignun's shoulder, trying to offer him a comforting touch.

Gaignun flinched, and for a brief moment, his eyes started shining. One of the fridges in the room suddenly exploded, sending debris everywhere.

"W-What the?!"

"Holy crap!"

The party members scrambled for cover from the explosion, eyes wide as they looked over at Gaignun in a mixture of shock and worry.

"…Gaignun?" Ziggy prompted. "Please, calm down if you can."

Gaignun didn't respond, continuing to shake for several moments. After a few moments, he quietly replied, "I…I'm sorry…"

"W-What was that?! His eyes started glowing like Shulk's do when he gets a vision, but…" Reyn wondered.

"That was no vision," Shulk shook his head. "Is it… a manifestation of some sort of power of yours?" he wondered aloud.

"I… I-It was…" Jr winced. "…It's none of your business, okay? Let Gaignun rest, now's not the time to interrogate him!" he spoke up defensively.

"Something about this place…Gaignun has been acting strange ever since we came down here. If I'm right…this kind of place doesn't bring back very pleasant memories, does it?" Citan guessed. Gaignun didn't answer, looking away from the party.

"Whatever it was…that's nothing I've ever seen before, that's for sure," Rico said.

"Who gave you the right to play psychoanalyst?" Jr questioned, shooting Citan a nasty expression. "Gaignun is…look, you're right, this place isn't pleasant for either of us, least of all him…" he frowned, glancing at the anxiety ridden Gaignun. "You don't have to rub it in our faces."

"…I see. I'm sorry, I–"

"Doc, I think it's best you just left it at sorry right now," Fei interrupted before Citan could say much more. "Jr, is there anything we can do to help Gaignun?"

"R-Riki apologize to Gaignun too…" Riki added.

"Ah…" Jr hesitated for a moment, feeling guilty, as though he had been too harsh with the others. "I… don't know what to do to help." he confessed. "Just… please, be easy on Gaignun. Please just let him rest for a little bit and gather himself…"

"We will," Fiora assured. "We won't go anywhere until he's alright."

Gaignun was trying to calm himself down, trying to focus on his breathing. He tried to remind himself he wasn't back at the facility, the Miltian Conflict had passed, he was just so close to getting out of here once and for all…

"…I'm sorry," he repeated. "I'm…I'm sorry…"

"It okay, friend," Riki spoke, frowning as he reminded himself to keep his distance. "You not do anything wrong. Friends here to help you. You not alone."

"…th…thank you, Riki, I…I just…"

Gaignun sighed, shoulders sagging. "…it's true this place brings back…very bad memories for me. I thought I could handle it but…"

He hesitated. Maybe now was as good a time as any to admit he was a URTV, or at least that he could use telekinesis.

Jr remained silent as Gaignun spoke, taking a step back, giving him space. He decided to leave it up to Gaignun to admit the truth about themselves if he so wished; he would not cross that boundary.

"You must have gone through a lot," Billy spoke, gently.

"…I have. There's a…a very long story about it, but…"

Gaignun gripped his arm. "…the short of it is that I was created in a lab of sorts. I'm the last of 669 clones of Dmitri Yuriev, and I spent my childhood growing up in that lab to be used as a weapon. I was given the ability to use telekinesis, among other powers…"

He hesitated. "…I only got out of Yuriev's facility during the Miltian Conflict. I…I finally felt enough was enough, I didn't want to be used by him any longer…"

"W-Wait, did you say Dmitri Yuriev?!" Shion exclaimed, her eyes growing wide with horror. "That's…the Salvator's… you…"

chaos kept silent, merely watching Gaignun speak, and Jr react.

Jr nodded. "Gaignun… was our ticket out of that God-awful place."

"Our?" Dunban paused. "So then, you too…?"

"I'm a clone of Dmitri Yuriev, yes. The 666th one, at that," Jr confirmed.

"666…and if I'm following this, Gaignun is 669…" Rico noted.

"Jr must be much older than he looks, chu!" Chu-Chu guessed. "That's weird, chu…"

"…yes. As I said, there's…a long story behind who and what we are, but…there's a time and place for other details," Gaignun confirmed. "Yuriev is dead; I shot him myself."

"You… shot your father?" Shulk gasped, wincing.

"I… see." Citan gave a nod. "You must have had your reasons for doing so. That must have taken a lot of courage."

"…it did. Though, to be honest…I wasn't thinking entirely straight at the time. I was just so scared and tired of what Yuriev had done to us, I…I wanted out of it, one way or another."

Gaignun sounded drained. "I wanted to believe that he could have been a good person. That even he, the worst person I had ever met in my life, could change if he just _tried._ But…it occurred to me that day other people probably thought the same…and paid the price for it. And thus, I…I shot him."

"So you believe that… not even the worst person in the world could be good if they tried?" Shion questioned. "I'm…not sure if I agree with that, but… I understand you, entirely. It sounds like he didn't even make an attempt." She confessed, and Jin could swear she glanced in his direction momentarily.

Gaignun shook his head. "That's…not exactly what I meant. Yuriev…I think he knew full well what he was doing, but…I don't know, maybe he thought he was above the consequences? I don't know if I'll ever understand him."

"Some people, and things, are beyond comprehension," Dunban admitted, with a nod. "You and Jr have been through a lot."

Gaignun nodded. "I…I apologize for hiding all of that for so long. As…As you can probably guess, we don't often tell people what we are for a reason. I thought I could handle this place, and I…"

He glanced at the destroyed fridge, wincing. "…and I could have hurt someone…I am so, so sorry."

"It's okay," Jr tried to reassure Gaignun yet again. "Nobody was hurt. We both underestimated how much we could tolerate this place. I'm sorry I can't protect you from these horrors…"

"You're not to blame, Jr. We…We really should get a move on. The faster we find Dr. Alphys, the faster we'll get out of here…"

Gaignun took a deep breath. "I'll…I'll be alright now."

"If you say so," Ziggy nodded. "If you need to rest, just let me know. It's not much, but I can at least carry you if you lack the energy to go on."

"I…I might need help, I feel exhausted after panicking like that," Gaignun admitted.

Riki peered around the room quickly, spotting a room with another machine of some sort in it with a slot for a key. "Riki found other room for key!"

"Thanks, Riki," Rico gave a smile and a nod, as the Heropon bounced over towards the spot he had found. Ziggy, in the meantime, carefully lifted Gaignun once more, effortlessly carrying him.

"I get carried too, right…?" Jr questioned.

"No. You're too old for that, apparently… old man."

Jr balked at the old man comment, jaw dropping. Gaignun had to look away, trying to keep from grinning at Ziggy calling Jr old. 'He has you there.'

Riki placed the last key into the machine, and the sound of something turning on could be heard in the distance.

Ziggy could only smile contently at Jr's baffled expression, especially once he heard a giggle out of MOMO, still holding onto Jr's jacket.

"There we go," chaos gave a small smile. "We should be able to progress through that room now. Hopefully, Alphys will be there…"

"Y-Yeah, right! I hope she's okay!" Jr agreed.

The door with the vending machine next to it now had all lights flickering, the sound of a machine humming coming from it. Inside, it seemed to be another elevator that lost its power, but it had a path open to the west…

"Maybe it needs power to run through it to work?" Shulk easily deduced. "Hopefully, we can find it down the hall a little more. Shall we get going?"

"Yeah. It shouldn't be too farther now…" Billy agreed.

Down the hall were two panels, though they didn't flicker on as the party passed them by. It seemed they would need more power…

The room at the end of the hall held a large generator, the lights off. There was a large red button on the generator.

"I guess pressing that red button'll activate the power generator, right?" Reyn questioned, with a bright, beaming smile. Ignoring anything anyone was saying to him at the moment, he eagerly headed towards the button to press it. Shulk's party immediately darted forward to hold Reyn back. "Reyn no!"

"Er…I'm judging by how you guys are reacting…something similar has happened before with Reyn and buttons," chaos guessed. "I don't see any other way to power on this generator, however…"

"H-Hey!" Reyn yelped at the others. chaos' assumption was entirely correct, Gaignun guessed.

"MOMO, are you able to tell if it's safe for us to turn this thing on?" Jr questioned.

MOMO cautiously approached the generator. "Let's see…there's no traps that I can see, and the room is clear. It's safe to turn on the generator!"

"Very well," KOS-MOS gave a firm nod, approaching the button. "Then, allow me."

"Yeah; hopefully we can find Dr. Alphys after all this." Bart shrugged, allowing KOS-MOS to do as she wished.

The generator powered on, the lights coming on and the sounds of machines humming got louder. At that moment, however…four amalgamates approached the humans, perhaps drawn by the noise.

"W-What the…there's more of them?!" Fei realized.

"More?" KOS-MOS questioned, turning to face the strange… amalgamates. Yes, realizing they seemed to be a fusion of many monsters… an Amalgamate seemed to be the best way to define them. "Shion, what are my orders?"

"D-Don't attack them," she spoke, taking a step back - along with many of their group. "We can talk them down…!"

"R-Right, we…we can talk them down, we don't have to fight…h-how are we going to…" Maria wondered.

The amalgamates slowly closed in on the group, pressing them against the generator. Chu-Chu and Riki bristled, growling and trying to scare the monsters back, but it did nothing to deter them. Did the monsters intend to harm them…?

"Hey! Leave them alone!" Alphys' voice called out as she walked into the room. "I got you guys some food, okay?"

The monsters turned to Alphys, then slunk out of the room in response to her. Alphys huffed as they left, crossing her arms.

"Some… some food…?" Fiora questioned, as the monsters seemed to harmlessly slink away to eat.

"Forget about that!" Jr chimed. "Dr. Alphys, thank God you're safe!"

"Sorry about that," Alphys apologized. "They get a little sassy when they're hungry. I think they thought you had food on your…anyway! The power went out, and I've been trying to turn it back on, but it seems you guys were one step ahead of me. Th-This was probably a big inconvenience to you guys, but…I'm glad you came here!"

She hesitated. "I was…afraid I might not come back. N-Not because of these guys, heavens no! I was just…worried that I would…do something cowardly."

"…Alphys…?" Gaignun quietly asked, worried.

Jr seemed troubled by her words, wincing as she heard them. "…Alphys… what do you mean by that? …Cowardly…?"

"That…well…"

Alphys wrung her hands nervously. "…that I wouldn't come back because I just…couldn't handle the idea of telling everyone the truth. A-As you guys probably know by now…Asgore asked me to study the nature of souls. During my research, I isolated a power I called 'determination'. I injected it into dying monsters so their souls would last after death…but the experiment failed. Unlike human bodies, monster bodies don't have enough physical matter to handle determination."

She sighed, lowering her head. "Their bodies melted together. Seeing them like that, I knew I couldn't tell their families about them. I was so scared to work on anything else, knowing those experiments were such total failures…"

Shion let out a small whimper listening to Alphys speak. "Alphys, I… I, too, am a scientist. KOS-MOS here," she gestured to KOS-MOS, "was my finest work, Well… mine and my fianceé's finest work. And his final work. KOS-MOS… I love her dearly. But she… she was the cause of my fianceé's death. The cause of the death of so many others. I had to live with that… knowing that my friends, colleges… my lover was killed by something I had a hand in making. It took me a very long time to come to terms with what happened, but I… Alphys. I hope you learn to forgive yourself."

Alphys silently listened to Shion, eyes widening as Shion went on. "O-Oh, my gosh…I…I'm so sorry about your fiancée…"

She bowed her head for a moment, then raised her head. "I've…I've changed my mind, however. I…won't run away any longer. I'm going to tell everyone the truth. It's…going to be hard. I know I'm going to struggle. I know at times I'll want to give up, but…I'm going to stand on my own. I'm going to walk forward…no matter what happens."

Shion wore a bright smile on her face, clasping her hands together. "You've come to a wonderful conclusion, Alphys. You're doing the right thing by being honest and truthful to yourself, and to others." she nodded. "I'm sure your friends won't let you endure this on your own. You'll have their support… and our support, too!"

Alphys smiled. "…thank you. I'm glad I can count on you guys, honestly."

She exited the lab. "…it's time for everyone to go home."

The panels in the hall outside were now active…along with the elevator.

Jr felt relieved knowing that freedom was finally soon theirs. He was certain that Gaignun felt just as happy knowing he could escape, too.

"I can't believe this entire lab is yours," Shulk made small talk with Alphys, as they made their way towards the elevator. "At least it seems to make a great home for those…monsters we saw earlier."

Gaignun was more than happy to know they were finally leaving the lab. Freedom seemed so close to him…!

Alphys nodded. "It's served every Royal Scientist before me, actually! It…was usually kept in better shape before the determination experiments," she admitted. Shion and Gaignun couldn't help but approach the panels.

The first one read: 'I've chosen a candidate. I haven't told ASGORE yet, because I want to surprise him with it… In the center of his garden, there's something special. The first golden flower, that grew before all the others. The flower from the outside world. It appeared just before the queen left. I wonder… What happens when something without a SOUL gains the will to live?'

The next one read: 'the flower's gone.'

Shion couldn't help but freeze as she read that. The flower's gone? A yellow flower… "Flowey…?" she mumbled to herself. Was he…Was he a result of these horrid Determination experiments, as well?

As Alphys approached the elevator, she paused. "A-Ah, I probably should round up the other Amalgamates…y-you guys will have to go on ahead, I'm sorry! I've gotta make sure everyone's fed and all!"

She quickly sped away, leaving the party alone in the elevator. The elevator was working now, though suddenly…the phone rang.

"Alright. We'll see you!" Elly smiled, waving Alphys off. She was caught off guard, hearing the phone ring, which Shion promptly answered.

"Hello?"

It's a voice no one has heard before.

"Chara…are you there? It's been a long time, hasn't it? But you've done well. Thanks to you, everything has fallen into place. Chara…see you soon."

Whoever was on the phone hung up. The doors to the west and south in the elevator suddenly closed up, and the elevator shot upwards.

"Chara…?" Shion was left wondering that ever so briefly, before the elevator suddenly shot up, surprising her and the others inside.

"J-Jr!" MOMO yelped, clinging to the gunslinger. "Is it supposed to go this fast?!"

Jr shook his head, clinging to MOMO back. "N-No! I'm pretty sure this is not supposed to go that fast!"

The lights started flashing red, and Shulk clung to Fiora out of fear. Chu-Chu and Riki hugged each other, both yelping loudly. The elevator shot upwards for a few more minutes, until it abruptly came to a halt.

Many had shaking legs, despite the fact that the elevator had come to a halt. "Has… h-has it stopped…?" Maria questioned - she had clung to Rico for safety.

"I…I believe so…" Gaignun responded. "I…I wonder what happened…"

The party left the elevator, and suddenly vines shot up and sealed it off, preventing the party from going back to the lab. The sight made quite a few shudder, Shion in specific feeling distressed. "Those vines are…" she trailed off. Did they belong to Flowey? Or…

"We need to press on." Ziggy spoke. "There's no turning back now."

Melia nodded. "We've done what we need to, it seems. What's left now is to go to Asgore again…"

Shulk looked towards the palace. "…I wonder…what will be different this time?"

"…Only one way to find out, right?" Fei responded, he too gazing at the palace. He felt fear, anxiety, and yet… he held hope. Hope that things would go well this time around. Hope that Asgore and all of the monsters trapped below here would be saved.

Shulk nodded. "Right…let's meet with Asgore once again!"


	24. Finale: Shion part 1

**We're nearing the end, everyone! There will be two more chapters, and then Xenotale will be finished!**

 **Well, sort of. I am open to the idea of requests for drabbles of a sort set in Xenotale. I do reserve the right to turn down ideas I get, and I'm not open to doing No Mercy Route stuff before anyone asks. And I am getting the idea for a Yokai Watch rewrite, as I'm not pleased with the story...**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Shion and the others returned to the barrier, where Asgore still waited for them. He slowly turned around at hearing them approach, a tired look in his eyes.

"Humans…if you have any unfinished business to take care of…please, feel free to attend to it now," he prompted.

"…we…Asgore, we don't have to fight!" Shion insisted. "We never came here to fight! We just want to go home…"

"And to go home, you need to have both a monster's soul and a human's soul. None of you are covered in another monster's dust…and to break the barrier, we need seven human souls. We have six as of this moment," Asgore reminded. "And I have my doubts that any of you wish to die so we can break the barrier."

Out of the corner of Shion's eye, she saw Gaignun look as though he was about to say something, but he seemed to think better of it and shook his head.

"Please, King Asgore…we don't want to fight," chaos insisted. "Surely there's another way to break the barrier and bring peace between humans and monsters…?"

"We might be able to help you!" Shulk piped up. "I work as a scientist, and so does Shion, if we worked together with Alphys, we…we might be able to find a way to bring down the barrier!"

"We have no intention of hurting you or your people," Ziggy assured. "While we have homes and people to return to…I'm sure they can wait a while longer if it means we can work with you to free the monsters."

Asgore hesitated, looking at the group in surprise. "…you would…really be willing to work alongside us to free us all? Even after all we have done?"

"Of course!" Shion answered. "Asgore…let us work together. Please."

Asgore looked reluctant to agree, but just before he could speak, Shion heard the sound of rushed footsteps and saw a fireball hit Asgore square in the chest, knocking him to the ground.

"What an awful, horrifying, _nasty_ creature, torturing such poor innocent youths!" Toriel remarked, approaching the group.

"Toriel!" Shion gasped. The younger members of the party, Jr included, ran up to Toriel and hugged her. Toriel seemed surprised, looking down at them.

"O-Oh…Oh my goodness, it is wonderful to see you all again too, my friends!" Toriel greeted, happily hugging the others back. "I apologize, I was worried and wanted to make sure all of you were alright…I'm relieved I got here before you had to fight _him._ "

Asgore weakly got up, coughing. "A-Ah…Tori, it is nice to–"

"Don't 'Tori' me, Dreemurr!" Toriel interrupted, hugging the younger party members and Jr close to her as she glared at Asgore. "I'm lucky I got here when I could! Your plan to free us all was inane at best! You could have simply crossed the barrier after killing the first human and collected six more souls from the humans above, but _no,_ let's cause more grief among our kind and simply wait for more humans to fall down!"

Asgore winced, lowering his head. "…I…I see," was all Shion guessed he could say.

"Stop! Stop! Do not fight, please!" Papyrus shouted as he ran into the area, standing between the group and Asgore. He paused when he saw that no one had their weapons drawn. "…ah! It seems I was just in time!"

"Hello there," Toriel greeted Papyrus, demeanor changing in an instant to a pleasant one. "Who are you?"

"I am the Great Papyrus! Eh…Asgore? Did you shave? And clone yourself?" Papyrus asked.

"Pap, you really gotta slow down," Sans suggested as he walked in, the usual grin on his face. "I'm out of breath."

"Sans, do not lie in front of Asgore and Lady Asgore!" Papyrus complained. "There was an elevator!"

"That voice…!" Toriel gasped. She let go of the people she was hugging and ran over to Sans.

"Huh, you sound familiar," Sans noted. "I'm Sans. Sans the Skeleton. Nice to meet ya."

"I am Toriel! I wonder, could you be…"

Toriel paused, then her eyes lit up. "Say…what does a skeleton cover his roof with?" she asked.

"Uhh…snow-proof tiles?" Papyrus asked, tilting his head.

"No, a skeleton covers his roof with… _shingles!_ "

Papyrus and Bart groaned at the same time, making displeased faces at Sans and Toriel while the two giggled at the pun.

"PAPYRUS!" Undyne yelled, running into the room. "ASGORE, NO FIGHTING–oh."

She skidded to a halt when she saw no one had their weapons drawn, Asgore looking left out of the punning. "…huh. Thought you guys were fighting."

"Hello! Are you a new friend?" Toriel asked.

"Uh, yeah! I'm Undyne, head of the Royal Guard!" Undyne greeted before turning to Asgore. "Hey, Asgore, is that your ex?"

Asgore nodded, sighing. "She was my wife before the second human fell down here."

"Man, that's rough, buddy," Undyne noted.

"M-Mettaton, hurry up!" Alphys squeaked. Mettaton, in his boxy form, zoomed in with Alphys clinging onto him.

"Darlings, are you all alright?" Mettaton asked. "Papyrus called us and told us there was something going on at the castle, and Alphys grew worried!"

"We're okay, we're okay!" Shion assured. "I'm glad to see you're at least in a better condition than you were before!"

"Sadly, I can't use my EX form for a while due to the unfortunate malfunctions I suffered in our little showdown, but at least this form is still functional!" Mettaton said as Alphys climbed off him.

"Alphys, oh my god, this is Asgore's ex!" Undyne introduced Toriel. "The Ex-Queen herself!"

"Th-The Queen? Oh my gosh, I never thought…i-it's nice to meet you!" Alphys greeted. "Th-Though, Asgore, I'm sorry that you two broke up…th-there's always other fish in the sea!"

At the mention of fish in the sea, Undyne wrapped an arm around Alphys' shoulders, a grin on her face. "Or cute lizards."

"O-Or cute liz–" Alphys stammered before blushing furiously. "O-Oh my gosh, Undyne…"

"Oh, for crying out loud, just smooch already!" Mettaton prompted. "The cameras are dying to see some romantic action!"

 _But there aren't even any cameras around…?_

"Uh? Sure? I guess?" Undyne responded, looking surprised. Alphys' eyes lit up, and raised her head to meet Undyne's lips with her own.

Shion felt happy for the couple. It seemed as though things would be alright now, hopefully.

"It seems none of us here want you to fight, my friends," Toriel noted.

"We didn't want to fight in the first place," Maria assured. "We were trying to negotiate peace with Asgore."

"Well, then I am glad I came here nonetheless! I am still happy to see you all again!" Toriel admitted, beaming with joy.

"Say, uh, Papyrus?" Alphys asked as she and Undyne finished kissing. "How did you know how to call us all here?"

"Well, let's just say…a tiny flower told me!" Papyrus answered.

The happy atmosphere in the room quickly turned cold, the smile dropping off Shion's face as she felt her blood turn to ice. Alphys had the same reaction Shion seemingly did, eyes widening in horror.

"A-A tiny flower?!"

Without warning, large vines snatched up the monsters, Flowey rising up before the party.

"Howdy! Gosh, I have to thank you guys again! You distracted all of these guys long enough for me to snatch the human souls!" Flowey greeted, cheerfully.

"Flowey, you…you didn't learn your lesson?! We beat you last time!" Jr pointed out.

"Ahaha, _wow,_ you really think I'm going to learn anything? Come on, didn't the fact I sealed up that elevator clue you in that maybe I haven't learned a thing?" Flowey questioned, a smug grin on his face. "And you know what the best part is? Soon, your friends' souls are gonna be mine too!"

"What?! Let 'em go!" Reyn shouted, charging forward. A vine popped out of the ground and snagged Reyn before he could reach Flowey.

"And you know what the best part is?" Flowey asked as more vines burst out from the ground to grab the rest of the group. "This is all _your_ faults. You _made them_ love you! All the time you spent listening to them…encouraging them…caring about them…without that, they wouldn't have come here. And now, with their souls and the humans' together…I will achieve my real form! Hee hee…"

"Real form…? Flowey, why? Why are you still doing this?" Shion asked.

"Why am I still doing this? Don't you get it yet? This is all just a game! If you leave the underground satisfied, you'll "win" the game. If you "win", you won't want to "play" with me anymore. And what would I do then?" Flowey questioned.

"A game?! People's lives aren't for you to play with!" Dunban argued.

"We weren't here to play with you in the first place!" Shulk called out. "We just want to go home!"

"And that's exactly it! Once you leave and the monsters go free, you…you won't want to play with me anymore!" Flowey protested. "You'll just leave me alone! And I won't let that happen! I'll hold victory in front of you, just within your reach…and then tear it away just before you grasp it. Over, and over, _and over…_ "

"Fight us, dammit!" Jr shouted. "Give us a fair fight!"

Flowey snorted. "Listen, if you do defeat me, I'll give you your friends back. I'll break the barrier. I'll give you your 'happy ending' you so desire."

A malefic grin stretched across his face. "But that'll never happen! I'll keep you here no matter what! _Even if it means killing you a million times!_ "

Without warning, 'friendliness pellets' started hitting the group, people crying out in pain as they were hit. Shion desperately tried to hold on, scared of what would happen if they died. What would Flowey do if he had all their souls, human or not? And what did he mean by real form?

Toriel's hands started glowing, and a ring of fire stopped another round of pellets from hitting the party. Flowey looked alarmed, glancing up at Toriel.

"My…My friends, don't give up," she encouraged, weakly. "I know you are stronger than this…do not let that flower defeat you!"

"Stay out of my way, will ya?!" Flowey snapped at Toriel, aiming more pellets at the party. Several bones shielded the group again, Papyrus doing his best to grin despite the pain Shion guessed he was in.

"H-Humans! I, the Great Papyrus, order you not to give in!" Papyrus declared. "I thought that he was my friend, but I..I see now I was likely fooled! Don't give up!"

"You guys got this far," Sans added, "it doesn't seem right for everything to come apart now. Hang in there."

Flowey snarled at Papyrus and Sans. "Once I'm done with these humans, you two are next!" he threatened. Undyne managed to form a few spears in her hands, and threw them in front of Flowey.

"B-Buzz off, will you?!" she hissed. "Humans, you better not lose to this stupid flower! Kick his butt for me!"

"T-Technically, it's near-impossible for you guys to win," Alphys admitted, "b-but given the odds…I'm still rooting for you guys!"

"Darlings, don't lose to this little weed!" Mettaton encouraged. "If you didn't let me win, I don't see why you should let him win either! The show _must_ go on!"

One by one, Shion and her friends were able to struggle out of the vines, the monsters continuing to call encouraging words to them.

"You are the future of humans and monsters…!" Asgore called. "Stay determined!"

Flowey looked annoyed with his plans quickly unraveling before him, especially as more monsters entered the area. The monster kid from Waterfall, the Royal Guards, Shyren, Muffet…

"Don't give in!"

"Ahuhuhu, hang in there, dearies!"

"Don't lose to him…!"

"Y…You…You…!" Flowey began, alarmed, before he grinned again, unnerving Shion.

"You _idiots._ "

Suddenly, the ground started to shake, everything glowing white to the point Shion had to cover her eyes–

And then she stood in a black void with the rest of the group, a small monster standing before them with their back turned to them.

 _That's…!_

The monster clenched its furry hands, looking side to side, and the realization of just who Flowey was began to dawn on Shion.

"…finally," that soft voice from the tapes in the laboratory spoke. "I was so tired of being a flower."

They turned to face the party, slowly opening their eyes. They had slightly long ears, a green and yellow-striped shirt, pants, and no socks or shoes of any sort. A happy smile formed on their face.

"Howdy!" he greeted. "Chara, are you there? It's me, your best friend!"

The world flashed white again, and he transformed into an older-looking version of himself with long horns, a purple outfit that resembled Toriel's down to the runes on the front of it, a small heart-shaped locket hanging from his neck, and black eyes with white pupils. A more sinister grin spread across his face.

" _ **ASRIEL DREEMURR!**_ "

 _It's the end._

Asriel. Asriel had turned into Flowey after his death. The revelation hit Shion like a bullet. Asriel stood before them, patiently waiting for someone to do something, but…Shion was shocked, and she could tell the rest of the party was as well.

Asriel launched a stream of fire at party, similar to Toriel and Asgore's fire attacks. It was easy enough for them to dodge, thankfully.

"A…Asriel, we don't have to fight!" Shion stammered. "You don't have to do this!"

"I don't think he'll listen!" Maria pointed out. "If he didn't listen when he was Flowey, he won't listen now, I think!"

"Give us our friends back!" Jr shouted. "You have no right to do this!"

Asriel just shook his head and launched another stream of fire at the group. "Eat this!"

The stream of fire came faster this time, not giving the party nearly as much time to dodge the attack and causing several people to yelp in pain as they were burned.

"Too easy for you, huh? Then let the true battle finally begin!" Asriel declared. The void transformed into a rainbow-colored sky, the ground beneath Shion's feet still pure black.

 _He's a legendary being made up of every soul in the underground…_

Shion didn't care, she was going to find a way to end this peacefully. They got this far without the use of force, they could keep at it!

"Asriel! I know you're better than this! We don't have to fight!" Shion argued.

Asriel gave a smug chuckle. "You know…I don't care about destroying this world anymore," he admitted as he summoned a pair of swords. "After I defeat you and gain total control over the timeline…I just want to reset everything!"

"We won't let you!" Shulk declared, drawing his Monado as Asriel flew toward the party. The two swung their swords at each other, Shulk trying to stop Asriel's blows. Eventually, Asriel tried to parry and stab Shulk, but Reyn shoved him out of the way in time and blocked the attack with his weapon.

"Not today, Asriel! No one's gonna die today if I can help it!" Reyn declared.

Asriel snorted, floating back to where he was before. "All your progress…everyone's memories…I'll send _everything_ back to zero!" he pledged. "Then we can do everything all over again!"

His right arm transformed into what Shion could only assume was some sort of blaster, and started firing bullets at the group. Shion and Reyn blocked what bullets they could, the others having no choice but to flee for a few moments.

 _Watch out!_

Rainbow-colored energy started to fill up a gauge of some sort in the blaster, and Asriel aimed it at Shion as it went off.

"Monado Shield!" Shulk called, the familiar barrier appearing over the Shion to shield her from the attack just in time.

"And you know what the best part of all this is? You'll do it!" Asriel pointed out as his arm returned to normal and a white, shining mass of something started forming in his hands before he threw it up to the sky. Star-shaped projectiles rained down on the group, prompting everyone to start running away from the stars as fast as they could.

"And you'll lose to me again, and again, _and again!_ " Asriel went on, watching the party scramble away just as a particularly large star crashed down to the ground and sent hundreds upon hundreds of stars raining down.

"Asriel, please! We don't want to fight, stop this!" Shion pleaded as the attack ended. "I know you're better than this! Please…!"

"And you want to know why?" Asriel questioned as he raised his left arm, electricity gathering in it. "Because you 'love your friends'!"

Lightning started to strike the battlefield, Shion fleeing from the bolts before they could strike her down. Okay, it was true she loved her friends…

"Because you 'never give up'!" Asriel went on as the attack stopped and he summoned the swords again. This time, Dunban and Jin blocked Asriel's attacks as well as they could with their blades.

"Of course we won't give up!" Dunban retorted. "We want to keep everyone safe!"

Asriel snorted, attempting to slice the two up for several moments before backing off, dismissing the swords.

"And most importantly, because you want your 'happy ending'!" Asriel finished, transforming both of his arms into blasters once again. The bullets were harder to dodge this time, Shion wincing as she was struck by them. Gaignun managed to yank her out of the way of a rainbow-colored blast of energy just before it hit her.

"Of course we want our happy ending!" Gaignun retorted. "We've come this far here, there's no way we're giving up now!"

Asriel cackled loudly. "Isn't that delicious? Your 'determination', that power that got you this far? It'll be your downfall! Let's see you handle this! _**HYPER GONER!**_ "

Everything went dark, a large goat skull that resembled the machine Shion had seen in the hidden lab appearing before the group. It laughed ominously before opening its maw. Shion couldn't help but yelp in fear as it began to try to suck her into it, and she stood her ground as well as she could. The others followed suit, desperately trying to last against this attack.

"Hang in there!" Fei called, struggling to avoid being sucked into the skull. Jr started to slip, and MOMO grabbed onto him in time before he could get sucked away.

"Th-Thank you, MOMO!" Jr thanked, voice shaking.

Eventually, the attack stopped, and the area returned to its previous state, Asriel huffing. "…even after that attack, you're still standing in my way…? Wow…you really are something special. But don't get cocky. Up until now, I've only been using a fraction of my real power! Let's see what good your determination is against _**this!**_ "

Asriel's appearance started to warp, and the next thing she knew, she and the others were ensnared in something, Asriel's appearance now greatly resembling the rune that was on his tunic earlier. Giant wings expanded from his body, dark colors all over them. Shion weakly struggled against whatever was binding her arms and legs, looking around in fear. The others were in a similar predicament, unable to move in the slightest.

 _Can't move your body._

"Ura ha ha!" Asriel cackled. "Behold my true power!"

Large, rainbow-colored projectiles came out of his massive hands, and the party was helpless but to suffer the attacks. When one hit Shion, the world went dark for a moment, and she felt something inside her start to break, everything fading away. Was…Was this where it ended? After everything she had gone through, after losing Kevin, after watching the _Woglinde_ be attacked by Gnosis, after every single thing she had done down here, this was how she died?

No. **No.** She was not dying here, not when she had to get home and get to Second Miltia! Not when so much depended on her and her friends! Whatever was starting to break in her stopped, reforming completely.

 _But you refused._

The world faded back in, nothing anything noticeably different. Shion felt revitalized, but she still couldn't move.

"Ahaha…I can feel it. Every time you die, your grip on this world slips away. Every time you die, your friends forget you a little more. Your life will end here, in a world where no one remembers you!" Asriel boasted to her.

The energy projectiles appeared again, and Shion grit her teeth as they hit her, glaring defiance at Asriel. "I won't die here!"

"Still you're hanging on…? That's fine. In a few moments, you'll forget everything, too. That attitude will serve you well in your next life!" Asriel claimed.

The energy attacks started again, and Shion held on as well as she could, trying to struggle. "I'm not dying here! I have too much to do!"

Asriel snorted. "Then show me what good your determination is now!" he yelled, all the projectiles hitting Shion squarely in the chest. The world faded for a moment before returning to normal, and she winced. That…felt kind of painful, she had to admit. She desperately tried to move again.

 _You try to struggle, but nothing happened,_ that quiet voice noted. _It seems it might be impossible for you to be saved._

No! This wasn't where Shion would fall! She was going to get out of here and live!

 _…but maybe…_

An idea started to brew in her head. Asriel had every soul in the underground, didn't he? So what if…

 _…with what little power you **do** have…you can save someone else._


	25. Finale: Shion part 2

Shion managed to wrench one of her arms from whatever was ensnaring her, shortly pulling her other arm free. "I'm not giving up, Asriel! I'm going to save everyone!" she declared.

"Ura ha ha ha! Try it, I dare you!" Asriel responded, clearly amused.

Shion reached toward Asriel, narrowing her eyes in concentration. Everything started to shine before-

Toriel stood before her, face obscured by a white cloud of some sort. She simply stood there, Shion unable to tell how she was feeling.

"Toriel, I won't fight you!" Shion declared. "You're my friend!"

"...this is for your own good," Toriel insisted in a toneless voice, fire forming in her hands before she started throwing fireballs at Shion, forcing her to duck and dodge as well as she can.

"Toriel, please don't blame yourself for anything that happened to your children! It wasn't your fault!" Shion insisted.

"I have to protect them," Toriel went on. "No one will ever leave again."

She tossed a fireball up into the air, and it began to rain fire. Shion ran past the fire and hugged Toriel tightly. Toriel seemed to freeze up.

"You did everything you could. I forgive you for keeping us at the ruins," she murmured.

The white cloud vanished, and Toriel hugged Shion back. "My child...your future is yours to decide!"

The world shone again, and Shion was back before Asriel. She could feel something faintly resonating within Asriel. Everyone else was slowly starting to break free, starting with Fei and Shulk. The two ran up to Shion's side.

"We're not finished yet!" Fei declared.

"Shion, what do we do?" Shulk asked, looking at her.

"I reached out toward Asriel, and suddenly I was talking with Toriel...maybe if we reach out toward the other souls..." Shion began.

The three reached out toward Asriel, Shion bracing herself as the world around her glowed brightly. Within moments, Asriel was replaced by Papyrus, his face obscured by the same cloud of white Toriel's had been.

"Papyrus...! We need your help with a puzzle!" Shion called.

"...I must capture a human!" Papyrus declared, voice emotionless. Without warning, Shion felt gravity increase around her as rows of bones started to spring up from the ground. The three jumped over the bones, trying to get closer to Papyrus.

"Hey, Papyrus, do you make any jokes? Or do you not have the funny bone for them?" Fei asked.

Even though Papyrus' face was mostly obscured, Shion could tell he was frowning deeply. "Then...Then everyone will...!"

"Papyrus, could you cook something for us?" Shulk asked. "We want to taste your cooking!"

"I...humans!" Papyrus declared as the cloud surrounding him disappeared. "I will cook something for you! You are my friends, I could never think about capturing you!"

Papyrus was replaced by Asriel once that was over with, and Shion felt the resonating feeling grow stronger. By now, Shulk's party had gotten themselves out of their entanglement, joining Shion and the others.

"Let's reach for Undyne next!" Shion ordered. She reached out for Undyne's soul, concentrating...

Undyne soon stood before the party, face covered. "...all humans will die!"

"Undyne...can you teach us how to cook?" Dunban asked as Undyne prepared to throw a spear at the party. She faltered before throwing the spear up at the ceiling, sending a rain of small spears down on everyone.

"You're our real enemies!" she declared. Shulk darted up to her and lightly tapped her with the Monado, a small smile on his face.

"We're your friends! Please, remember us, Undyne...!" he pleaded.

Undyne summoned a spear and half-heartedly attempted to stab Shulk with it. Shulk yelped and backed away as fast as he could.

"Undyne our friend!" Riki insisted. "Riki no harm friends!"

Undyne seemed to pause before the cloud covering her face vanished, and she gave a big grin. "Well, some humans are okay, I guess!"

Shion's friends had managed to free themselves next, joining the growing group. "Alright! What do we do next?" Jr asked.

"Alphys! We have to reach out for her next!" Shion decided. She began to reach out again, trying to find Alphys' soul...

Alphys stood before the party, Mettaton by her side, much to Shion's surprise. Like the others, their faces were covered, with Alphys drooping.

"E-Everyone hates me..." Alphys bemoaned.

"The show must go on!" Mettaton declared. Mini-Mettatons rained down from the sky, Jr and KOS-MOS shooting them down.

"Dr. Alphys...I don't blame you for anything you've had to do," Gaignun assured. "You've done your best."

Alphys stiffened, wringing her hands. "...I've got to keep lying...all I do is hurt people!"

"I have to be the star! They need me to be the star!" Mettaton went on. Bombs started raining down, and the party scrambled to avoid them.

"Hey! What's your favorite anime, Dr. Alphys?" MOMO asked.

Alphys raised her head, the cloud disappearing as her eyes sparkled. "Kissy Mew Mew! But oh my gosh, I also really love Spirit Devourer, and then there's also that Bizarre Adventure show..."

"Mettaton, you are a wonderful star! You bring hope to all of the monsters!" Shion cheered.

Mettaton's face was no longer obscured as he twirled his microphone. "That's right! Darlings, you can't give up yet!"

"My friends like me!" Alphys realized. "And I like you guys too!"

The two vanished, and Asriel appeared once again, Shion feeling something strongly resonating within Asriel now. Fei's party had freed themselves next, joining the rest of the group. "Who's next?" Bart asked.

"Sans!" Shion answered. She reached out yet again, trying to find Sans' soul...

And then he stood before them, hands in his pockets, face covered. "...just give up. I did," he encouraged.

Nearly without warning, two large, almost beastly, skulls appeared at Sans' side. The two skulls fired off lasers, the party dodging as well as they could.

"Sans...we accept your judgment," Elly declared. "We've only befriended a few monsters down here, do we have any right to call ourselves friends with you?"

Sans hesitated. "Why even try? It's not like you'll ever see them again," he remarked. The skulls fired off more lasers, and Shion yelped as one just barely missed her.

"C'mon, Sans, let's take a break!" Citan encouraged. "Let's grab a bite to eat at Mettaton's resort!"

Sans looked tempted to take a break, but shook his head. "There's no hope for anyone down here," he declared.

"That's not true!" Fei argued. "There's hope for everyone! And there's especially hope for you!"

That seemed to finally do the trick, as Sans shook away the clouds covering him. "Nah, I'm rooting for you guys," he decided.

 _One left._

Shion reached out for Asgore left, and he appeared before the group, head bowed. "Forgive me for this."

He drew his trident and attempted to attack the party, Shion blocking the blow with her shield. "We're going to save everyone, Asgore! Including you!"

Asgore's hands shook. "This is my duty," he tried to insist. He raised his hand and threw a few fireballs at the group, Shion barely managing to avoid getting burned.

"We won't fight you!" Fei insisted. "You're our friend!"

Asgore fell silent, and Shion darted up to him, hugging him as she did with Toriel. Asgore dropped his trident and hugged Shion, the clouds disappearing.

"You are our future!" he declared before vanishing again, Asriel reappearing once again.

 _It seems there's one last person who needs to be saved._

"...Asriel...!" Shion called out. Asriel reared back, looking alarmed.

"Huh? What...What are you doing?!" he shouted before everything went white.

Suddenly Shion was watching a scene. A child had fallen down into the underground, a small white goat gingerly approaching them.

"Oh...! You've fallen down, haven't you?" Asriel asked, concerned. He helped the child up and began walking away.

"Chara, huh? That's a nice name! My name is Asriel!"

A picture came forth of Asriel and Chara holding flowers, Toriel and Asgore behind them. Chara was smiling brightly, Shion noticed, as the picture faded away.

 _..._

"Wh...What did you do?! Stay away from me, I don't need anyone!" Asriel hissed, firing off multiple projectiles at the party. Shion blocked the attacks as much as she could.

"Asriel...!" she called out.

Once Asriel was finished with the attack, he lowered his head. "...Chara...do you know why I'm doing this? Why I keep fighting to keep you around?"

"...why, Asriel?" Shion asked.

"Because you're special, Chara...you're the only one who understands me," Asriel admitted. "You're the only one who's fun to play with anymore."

 _..._

"...no, that's...that not just it! I'm doing this because I care about you, Chara! I care more about you than anyone else! I'm...I'm not ready for this to end! I'm not ready to say good-bye to you!" Asriel declared.

A rainbow-colored light formed in Asriel's hands. "So please... _STOP DOING THIS AND LET ME WIN!_ "

A beam struck the entire party, and Shion did her best to hold on, gritting her teeth. Other people cried out in pain, some holding onto each other as the attack continued.

" _STOP IT! STOP IT NOW!_ " Asriel cried, tears running down his cheeks as he continued to attack.

Eventually, however, the attack stopped, and Shion barely had the strength to stand as she looked up at Asriel.

"...C...Chara...I'm so alone...I'm so afraid..." Asriel admitted, voice shaking. He soon returned to his child form, sobbing. Shion approached him, kneeling down by him.

"Asriel..."

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, Chara!" Asriel wailed. The party slowly approached Asriel, doing their best to seem nonthreatening...even though they were all injured from Asriel's final attack.

"It's okay, Asriel..." Shion tried to comfort.

Eventually, Asriel wiped away his tears, looking up at Shion. "Y...You, you're not Chara," he realized, eyes widening.

"No, I'm not," Shion confirmed, nodding slowly.

"...Chara...Chara's been gone for a long time now," Asriel murmured. "Wh-What's your name?"

"Shion. Shion Uzuki," Shion responded. "I'm sorry you thought I was Chara..."

Asriel shook his head. "I...I'm sorry, Shion. I did so many awful things...I don't know how you could ever forgive me."

"Please, Asriel...don't worry," Shion assured. "I...I can't blame you after all you've gone through."

"I...I wish I could tell you how much everyone cares about you. Papyrus, Sans, Undyne, Alphys...mom and dad...they all really care about you guys," Asriel commented. "Monsters are weird."

"...what will you do now?" Ziggy asked, quietly.

"I...I'm going to free everyone's souls, but...there's something I have to do first. It's...It's time for the monsters to go free," Asriel declared. "Please, uh...stand back."

The party backed away, and Asriel slowly floated up into the air. All of the monsters' souls and human souls appeared around Asriel, and everything shone brightly. Within moments, Shion heard the sound of something cracking, then shattering.

 _The barrier has been destroyed._

Asriel gently landed on the ground, looking up at Shion. "I...I can't maintain this form forever. Soon, I'll...I'll be a flower again. I'll be a soulless being again..."

Shion gently hugged Asriel, pulling him close. She didn't know what to say...maybe she didn't need to say anything?

Asriel didn't respond before hugging Shion back. "...haha...I don't want to let go."

Shion closed her eyes, and the next thing she knew, she heard Toriel's voice. "Shion! Wake up! This is all just a bad dream...!"

Shion found herself lying on the ground with the rest of her friends, the monsters standing over them. Looks of relief formed on everyone's faces as they saw she was okay.

"Thank goodness! I was so worried!" Toriel admitted.

"Tell us next time you decide to nap, Shion!" Undyne ordered. "We didn't know when you'd wake up!"

"W...Wait, you...you know my name?" Shion asked as she slowly sat up. She wasn't in any pain, surprisingly.

"We do! Well, it's weird, we didn't know until that flower appeared, and then we were all here!" Undyne confirmed.

"Darlings, are you alright?" Mettaton asked as the others slowly got up. "Whatever happened knocked all of you out!"

"We...We'll be okay, but..." Shion began.

"The barrier is down," Asgore informed, a smile on his face. "However...we'll leave when you all feel ready. Perhaps you wish to say good-bye to your friends first?"

Shion nodded. She felt like she had to go somewhere...

Without warning, she stood up and began walking away, the others scrambling to follow.

The party came to a stop at the place where they had fallen down, Asriel sitting by the flowers. He raised his head and turned around at the sound of their footsteps.

"Oh...howdy," he greeted. "Why are you guys here?"

"We...We wanted to see you again, Asriel," Shion admitted. "I had a feeling of where you were..."

"Because of Chara?" Asriel guessed, a sad smile forming on his face. Shion cringed and nodded, and Asriel sighed. "Don't worry about me. Someone has to take care of the flowers..."

"I can't just leave you here, Asriel, not after all that..." Shion responded, shaking her head.

"Shion, please leave me alone," Asriel pleaded. "I can't come back. I just can't, okay?"

"And I can't leave you alone again, Asriel," Shion insisted.

"Shion..." Asriel murmured before looking away. "...I know why Chara climbed the mountain."

"You do? Could you tell us?" Gaignun gently asked.

"Well, it...it wasn't for a happy reason. Everyone knows the legend, right...? 'Travellers who climb Mt. Ebott are said to disappear.' Chara...Chara hated humanity. Why they did, they never talked about it. But they felt very strongly about that," Asriel admitted.

"Oh, Asriel...I'm so sorry," Shion apologized.

"Shion...you really ARE different from Chara. In fact...well, you guys don't even share the same fashion sense. I don't know why I ever acted like you were the same person. Maybe..."

Asriel hesitated. "The truth is...Chara wasn't really the greatest person. While, Shion...you're the type of friend I wish I always had. So maybe I was kind of projecting a little bit. Let's be honest. I did some weird stuff as a flower."

Shion offered a hug, and Asriel reluctantly shook his head in response. "Asriel, I...I'm sorry about Chara. I really am."

"...I...I should tell you guys everything that happened with Chara and I. After they died and I absorbed their soul," Asriel admitted.

"Tell us as much as you feel comfortable with sharing. We don't want to pressure you with anything," Gaignun assured.

Asriel slowly nodded. "When Chara and I combined our souls together...the control over our body was actually split between us. They were the one that picked up their own empty body. And then, when we got to the village...they were the one who wanted to...to use our full power. I was the one that resisted. And then, because of me, we..."

He broke off, lowering his head for a moment. "Well, that's why I ended up a flower. This whole time, I've blamed myself for that decision. That's why I adopted that horrible view of the world. "Kill or be killed." But now...after meeting you guys, I don't regret that decision anymore. I did the right thing. If I killed those humans...we would have had to wage war against all of humanity. And in the end, everyone went free, right? I still feel kind of sad knowing how long it took..."

Shion pitied Asriel. This poor child had gone through so much...

"...so maybe it wasn't a perfect decision. But you can't regret hard choices your whole life, right? Well, not that I have much of a life left. But that's besides the point."

Asriel shook his head, sighing. "And then when I was revived as a flower...I was so scared. I couldn't feel my arms or legs...I called out for help. 'Mom, dad, somebody help me!' But nobody came. Eventually, dad found me, crying in the garden. I explained what had happened to him. Then he held me, Shion. He held me with tears in his eyes. 'There there. Everything is going to be alright.'"

Asriel started to shake. "I couldn't feel anything at all. I realized I couldn't feel anything about anyone. My compassion was just...gone. I spent weeks with dad, vainly hoping I would feel something. But it became too much for me. I ran away from home. Eventually, I reached the ruins, and there I found mom. I thought maybe she could make me feel something again, but...she couldn't either."

"Asriel...?" Shion asked, concerned.

"I became despondent. I just wanted to love someone. I just wanted to care about someone. I...I decided it wasn't worth living anymore, not in a world without love or Chara. So I...I erased myself from existence. But...as I died, I started to feel apprehensive. If you don't have a soul, what happens when you die? Something primal started to burn inside me. "No," I thought. "I don't want to die!"...and then I woke up. Like it was all just a bad dream. I was back at the garden. Back at my 'save point.'"

Asriel gripped his arm tightly. "That power...that was 'determination.' The resolve to change fate. I experimented to see what I could do...as long as I was determined to live, I could come back from the edge of death no matter what, from my 'save point.' So...I played with my power. I solved everyone's problems at first, became everyone's friends, but then I got bored of it. Once you know their reactions to everything...what's the point of it?"

 _So then he..._

"Haha...I decided to see what would happen if I hurt them, or killed them if I felt like it. "I don't like this," I told myself. "I'm just doing this because I HAVE to know what happens."

Asriel laughed as he started to cry. "Ha ha ha...what an excuse! There was no end to the amount of grief I caused, the amount of suffering I saw...it almost became like a game for me. Kill or spare, kill or spare, spare then kill...I don't know how many times time looped down here, or for the world in general. Shion, I'm...I'm an awful person, I wanted something to change, _something_ that could entertain me, and...and what did I do? Brought all of you here!"

A collective gasp of shock rose from the party, Shion raising her hand to her mouth. She should have seen it coming, and yet...

Asriel had tears streaming down his face now. "I was so tired of being a flower, I was so tired of this place...and I was desperate for something to change, so I...I edited my save file. I brought you guys here in an attempt to change things up and see what you would do, maybe try to take your souls...it took so much determination out of me, especially to rival a combined amount of determination like all of yours...and that determination beat out mine. I couldn't access my save file anymore...and once you guys leave, it's...it's likely I'll be able to access my save file again and ruin everyone's happiness. Maybe start this loop all over again and see what happens."

Asriel sobbed, hugging himself. "I don't deserve anyone's kindness! I took you guys away from your friends and family! You deserve better than me...!"

Shion hugged Asriel tightly, and he started flat-out bawling, burying his face in Shion's shoulder. "Shion...Chara...!"

"...it's okay, Asriel. It's okay...let it out, we'll be here for you..." Shion gently assured.

Asriel whimpered. "I've been such an awful person! I...I can't go back to mom and dad, even if they don't remember, I'll just be a flower again before long, and...and I might just hurt people again!"

"...you have every right to judge me for this idea, but...what if we took you to Dr. Alphys?" Shion asked, and Asriel immediately tensed up. He struggled out of Shion's grasp, eyes wide.

"Are you...Are you joking?! She's why I'm like this in the first place! She's why any of this happened, how could you say that?!" Asriel nearly shouted, voice rising.

"I...I know, but...I don't want to leave you like this. I don't want you to become Flowey again!" Shion responded. "Please, Asriel...you deserve a happy ending too!"

Asriel hesitated before slowly nodding. "O...Okay, Shion. I'll trust you."

The return to New Home was quick. Asriel and Shion held hands the entire walk back, Shion scared if she let go for even a moment, Asriel would disappear. She felt the shocked gazes of many of the monsters rest on her and Asriel, but tried to pay it no mind.

Asriel and Shion froze up as they entered the house, shortly before Asriel walked over to the bedroom. Shion quietly followed, and watched as Asriel picked up the heart-shaped locket.

"...I gave this to Chara before they died," Asriel murmured, looking down at it. "We were celebrating the day they had come to live with us, and I thought they'd like this. They were...crying when I gave it to them..."

"...take it with you," Shion suggested. "At least...At least keep one good memory of them with you."

Asriel nodded, putting on the locket. He winced as he looked over at the knife. "...I...I think that might be best to leave it there."

Shion nodded before they continued walking back toward the barrier, continuing to hold Asriel's hand. She felt her heart thud painfully in her chest as they passed the throne room, her hands beginning to shake as she returned to the group of monsters waiting in the room before the barrier. They seemed to be discussing life outside of Mt. Ebott when they could finally leave...

"...Toriel, Asgore...we have someone with us," she informed, stepping into the area.

Toriel and Asgore turned to look at Shion, eyes widening and jaws dropping when they saw who she had with. Asriel flinched and hid behind Shion at first.

"This was a mistake!" he whispered, fearfully.

"A...Asriel?! Is...Is that you?" Toriel asked, eyes beginning to water.

"Our son...! You're alive!" Asgore gasped, sounding near breathless.

"M...Mom...dad..." Asriel whimpered before running toward them, Asgore and Toriel hugging Asriel tightly. The three all burst into tears, Shion unable to help but start tearing up herself.

"Oh, my child! My child, you're alive! It's a miracle!" Toriel sobbed.

"We thought we had lost you forever! We thought you had turned to dust in the garden!" Asgore confessed. "How did you come back?"

"It...It's a long story," Asriel admitted, lowering his head. "A really long one..."

"Holy _crap_ , you're...you're the prince?!" Undyne realized, eye widening in realization.

"Shion and humans, where did you find him?" Papyrus asked, an amazed look on his face.

"He was in the ruins, back where we fell down," Gaignun explained.

"We decided to bring him back here!" MOMO added.

"How can we ever thank you?" Asgore asked. "You've done so much for us...!"

"Ah, we...we don't require any thanks, really..." Shion admitted, scratching the back of her head. "We just...did what was right."

Alphys and Sans didn't seem explicitly thrilled at seeing Asriel, and Shion could only guess why. Asriel shyly approached the two, head lowered.

"...I...er...both of you..." he began, voice shaking.

"Easy, kiddo," Sans interrupted. "We can talk after everything's been all settled out. We've got a ton of stuff to worry about right now."

"Y-Yeah," Alphys agreed. "I-If you won't mind, I-I do need to...to make sure everything is okay, A-Asriel."

Asriel slowly nodded. "I understand."

"Are we ready to go to the surface?" Shulk asked the group at large.

"Heck yeah! I can't wait to see the surface! Sunlight's just before our grasp...!" Undyne answered.

"We're ready," Toriel assured. "Let us go."

The group of people and monsters slowly walked out of Mt. Ebott, looking all around them. The sky was dyed a brilliant orange, the sun rising into the sky. Shion found herself staring up at the sky, eyes wide in what felt like sheer wonder. A forest spread out beneath them, a mountain to the west and several tall buildings to the east.

"Is this what a sunrise is?" Shulk asked, nearly breathless with wonder.

"Y...Yeah, I...I think so. I've only seen pieces of art like this before, I never thought..." Shion responded.

"The surface...the sun is rising..." Asgore realized.

"How many years has it been?" Toriel wondered. "I never thought I would ever see the sky again..."

"It's...It's beautiful!" Papyrus squealed. "Sans! Sans, are you seeing this? A sunrise! It's...It's amazing! Absolutely amazing!"

"So this is the surface...I can't believe it! We're actually here!" Undyne gasped.

"It's...It's nothing I'd ever thought I'd see in my lifetime," Alphys admitted.

"...me neither," Asriel quietly murmured, gripping Toriel's dress tightly.

"There's so much we've gotta do! We've gotta talk with the humans, we need to get everyone out of the mountain..." Undyne began as she started walking down a path towards the forest, Papyrus, Sans, Asgore, and Alphys following her. Toriel and Asriel stayed with the party, watching the sun rise.

"...my friends...may I ask what you plan to do next?" Toriel finally asked, turning to face Shion and her friends. "You've freed us..."

"Toriel, we...we have to go home. We all have homes to go back to, and...as much as we'd love to spend just a little more time with you..." Shion began.

"Riki don't want to say good-bye," Riki admitted, eyes watering. "Riki want to be with friends a little longer!"

"It feels like we just met...it can't possibly be time to say good-bye yet, but..." Elly admitted.

Toriel gave a sad smile. "I understand, my friends. If we ever cross paths again, I hope you all have found your homes. Thank you...thank you all for everything you've done for us...!"

Asriel stepped towards Shion. "C...Can I have one last hug? Please?" he asked.

Shion nodded, and hugged Asriel tightly. "...I'll miss you."

"...I'll miss you too," Asriel admitted, hugging Shion back. "Take care of yourself...don't kill and don't be killed, Shion...!"

Shion and Asriel sadly let go, and Toriel and Asriel followed after their companions. Three glowing points of light appeared before the party...

"...it's time then, isn't it?" Melia guessed. "We have to finally leave this world..."

"...I...I don't want to say good-bye," Shulk admitted. "I wanted to spend a little more time with you all, but...we have our problems to take care of."

Shion sadly nodded. She, Fei, and Shulk approached the glowing points of light.

"I...I promise, one day...we'll all meet again," Fei swore. "When our worlds are safe, let's meet again!"

"I'd like the sound of that!" Shion commented, nodding. "I won't say good-bye! Let's meet together again one day!"

"Let's!" Shulk agreed. "We'll see each other again, I'm sure of it...!"

The three reached out for the points of light, and everything began glowing brightly around them. After a few moments, the light vanished, and the three groups were gone.


	26. Epilogue: Sans

Sans was sitting near where the barrier had once been, a phone in his hands ringing a few times. The sun was starting to set, rays of light illuminating the ground below for the last hour or so tonight.

"Please leave a message at the tone," an automated voice said before a small beep could be heard. Sans sighed.

"Still not picking up? Assuming you guys didn't drop your phone, at least. Hope you guys at least hear this," Sans commented.

"So...things have slowly improved for us since the barrier was destroyed. Asriel and Alphys explained what happened to him and the whole determination experiment thing once they had a chance. Toriel and Asgore weren't happy; I've never seen Toriel that angry before, and I hope I don't again. Nonetheless...Alphys is trying to find a way to make sure Asriel stays himself, hopefully for good."

Sans paused, trying to think of what else to say. "The humans have been more accepting of us than I thought they'd be. Toriel and Asgore are trying to get everything sorted out, and we're slowly moving out of the underground for good. While there have been a few bad eggs among the humans, for the most part we've been welcomed pretty well."

Sans waited for a few seconds, before giving another sigh. "Papyrus and Undyne are learning how to actually cook from Toriel. So far, I think they're starting to get better: the kitchen hasn't blown up so far, and their last attempts at pies were pretty good. Undyne and the rest of the Royal Guard are considering joining the police as their 'monster division', and Papyrus might be joining them if we can get that division made.

"Alphys is, of course, working on making sure Asriel doesn't become a flower again. She's asked for my help, and...well, how could I say no? I'd rather not have Flowey rear his mug again if we can help it. Asriel's sworn off any timeline shenanigans, and is trying to be a normal...hehe, _kid_ again. Basically...everything seems like it might improve for us."

Sans paused again. "...if you guys do ever come back...we need to have a talk. Mostly about how you went back and got us out of the mountain, and what you might've seen down in Waterfall...and definitely about the LOVE I sensed from three of you. You guys aren't in any trouble, but...there are some questions I want to ask you about what you've gone through. In any case...hope to see you guys soon."

With that, Sans hung up.


End file.
